September 5, 2005

�There are two races of men in the world�the race of the decent man and the race of the indecent man. Both are found everywhere they penetrate into all groups of society. No group consists entirely of decent or indecent people.�Viktor Frankl: �Man�s Search for Meaning�

This past week we have seen this truth played out before our very eyes. When will we, as Americans, grow beyond the racism which seems always to linger just under our skin. It comes from both sides of any ethnic barrier. Have we not learned anything from the past? Viktor Frankl learned the above truth while incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp. He endured the deaths of all around him, one of whom was his wife. And yet, he did not see the faces only of Germans and Jews. He saw that the true division of humanity is between the �decent and the indecent.�

It is rarely ever, that I get up on a soapbox in this journal. And I am about finished with it. But I have cried until I almost became sick, watching the suffering of the people and the destruction of lives and homes, so vividly reported on television.

We have seen the �decent� involved in acts of heroism and courage. We have seen their seemingly unjustified suffering. And we have seen the �hoodlums of indecency� acting out of their own darkness. Two races of people. And it had nothing to do with skin color or nationality. They were all Americans. They were all experiencing the same trauma. They did not have the same reactions to it.

Viktor Frankl wrote of something else he learned under inhuman oppression. He learned that there is one freedom which cannot be taken away from man. It is the freedom to choose his reaction to any given circumstance of life. We have seen people choosing that freedom this week. Of some we are extremely proud. By some we were greatly embarrassed�if not shocked.

On his radio broadcast this past week, a caller commented to Dr. Dean Edell that the citizens of New Orleans were suffering from posttraumatic shock syndrome. Dr. Edell responded, �We are ALL suffering from posttraumatic shock syndrome.�

When the waters subside; the evacuees are settled; the casualties accounted for as much as possible; and the rebuilding of lives and communities has begun�there will be some type of investigation. Probably hearings on �Hurricane Katrina� and the responsibilities�successes and failures, of all involved. And when that takes place, I pray that we will keep in mind that there are only two races of men in the world: The Decent, and The Indecent. And that we will have the wisdom to recognize who they are.

Text � copyright 2003 - 2008 The Homespun Philosopher

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