In Touch With Reflections On The Absence Of Others

By Betty Miller Buttram
FWIS Contributing Writer

There have always been serpents living among us who are quick to stir up a pot of bad trouble. There is always one who has the most powerful voice who will take the lead and the others will follow.

There are people who have the tendency to seek out or be attracted to those who are like themselves. There’s nothing wrong with that because that is what people do. It is a comfortable place to be, but it can become detrimental. Different opinions today have caused some people to begin to twist America’s history to perpetuate that the history of our Nation came about due to only one nationality; that rights and privileges have been stolen from them; so therefore, the people should take back what they think has been stolen from them. They bear arms against each other equipped with lies or misinterpretation of the facts. They also want to ban books that do not fit their picture of American history because it has become a diverse nation to their dismay. They have thrown “truth” under a rock and are digging a deeper hole to hide the whole “truth.”

Here is a question for them while they are trying to bury the truth: What are you going to do about the headstones, memorials, and monuments that have been placed and built in honor and remembrance of those who contributed their lives and life work to the history of this country?

A young minister preached on a recent Sunday morning about memories that allow us to reflect on the absences of others and that the cost to forget is steeper than the cost to remember. Memories of America’s history can be found on those headstones, memorials, monuments, and statues.

The Lincoln Memorial is a powerful memory of a beloved past President. Abraham Lincoln’s statue is posed and the view from that position looks out over the Reflection Pool toward the Washington Monument. Lincoln once stated that if you want to know a man’s character, give him power. That is so profound because in today’s world the serpent and his followers want all the power. There is trouble brewing in that pot.

Not too far from the Lincoln Memorial, there is a memorial Parand in it stands the statue of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His arms are crossed, and the statue looks across the Tidal Basin to where stands the memorial and statue of Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers and third President of the United States. When I reflect on both these statues, I think of equality, liberty, and justice. Jefferson started down that path with only wealthy white male landowners in mind; women and slaves were not included. King took the path and fought for equality and justice for oppressed people. Now the serpents are trying to take away women’s rights and gerrymandering the votes of citizens in certain states. There is trouble brewing in that pot.

There are two other powerful monuments that reflect on our Nation’s history: the Statue of Liberty and the Statue of Freedom on the Capitol Dome.

The Statue of Liberty depicts the figure of the Roman Goddess of Liberty named Libertas. The copper statue was a gift from the people of France to commemorate the upcoming centennial of the United States’ Independence (1776), the perseverance of American democracy, and the liberation of the national abolition of slavery following the American Civil War. It was dedicated on October 28, 1886, and stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City. She holds a torch above her head with her right hand and in her left hand she carries a tablet with the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. A broken chain and shackle lie at her feet commemorating the abolition of slavery. So, American independence, American democracy, and freedom, and the serpents are wanting to bring it all down. There is trouble brewing in that pot.

The Statue of Freedom is the “topper” on the U.S. Capitol Doom, and it would not be there without the help of an enslaved man by the name of Philip Reed. This “topper” reflects a classic Roman goddess in flowing robes and wearing a “liberty cap,” a cap used in ancient Rome to denote enslaved people who had been freed. A monument to Reed is at a cemetery in Landover, Maryland. He died in Washington, D.C. in 1892, in his early 70’s.

The Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King Memorial, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, and the Statue of Freedom all reflect on the American fight for independence, democracy, justice, and freedom. Why would this country want to start over again?

Beware and stay alert to all of the serpents and their forked tongues.