Immediately after we were out of school on Friday,
L, C, & I caught a flight to New York.
We visited the Discovery Museum
on Saturday morning,
where we were enthralled to
see the Dead Sea Scrolls
and the oldest parchment of the Ten Commandments.
It was amazing to see the brittle pieces of brown parchment
over 2,000 years old
inscribed with tiny symbols
meticulously deciphered by scholars.
There was also a large stone from the
Western Wall in Jerusalem.
We placed prayers on the stone
as if we were at the
Wailing Wall.
In a Holy mood,
we left there to attend
Sister Act.
It was fun and fabulous.
Later that evening,
as we walked through Times Square,
we observed vendors lining the street.
Some sold talent - music, artist renderings, and
photography.
Some sold wares - scarves, bags, and hats.
And one group of 10 men,
dressed all in black with red sashes,
was selling hate.
They stood
in warrior's pose
spouting venom.
Shouting and shaking some pseudo Bible
telling everyone
that God hates white people and Jewish people
and they should all die.
We were stuck next to them as we waited for the light to turn.
I tuned them out,
but my children couldn't.
As we crossed the street and continued walking,
my daughter was shaken and teary.
My son was furious.
The teacher in me tried to explain
that in America,
we have freedom of speech
and that is what makes our country better than those
that silence voices.
However, it rang hollow
as I also explained that hate is what destroyed
the Twin Towers.
I recalled the quote:
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil
is that good men do nothing.
(Edmund Burke)
We had walked by
and not confronted these intimidating men.
We were consumed by the things
we wish we had said to them.
It is hard to comprehend how we can have laws against hate crimes,
but allow people to preach hate
against any race, religion, or sexual orientation.
To restore our faith in humanity,
we rose early Sunday morning to
attended the Time Square Church.
We stood side by side
with people from every race and enthnicity
and sang:
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:14
