Monday, March 17, 2014

"My Bondage,My Freedom" Part 3




(For part 1 go  Here   And part 2 go Here)

           "They measure and esteem men according to their moral and intellectual worth, and not according to the color of their skin", said Douglass about the people of England. Yes, he finally 
got to experience true freedom. There was no one yelling at him to walk through another entrance. When shopping, he was not told to leave because they don't do business with black people. He could go to Sabbath service in peace. There were no pastors telling him to leave because black people were not welcomed. For the first time in his life, Douglass was respected for his intellect and treated as a human being, with dignity and respect. Having to return back to America was a sad day for him. Only in America did he offend people by the color of his skin. Regardless of who might get offended Frederick Douglass continued to speak out against slavery, sharing his story to anyone who would listen. 

           There are many things we can learn from "My Bondage, My Freedom", but I want to focus on two main points that really impacted me. The first is too not judge someone based on their appearance. This has definitely been a fault of mine in the past. Specifically my ignorance was geared to those who looked “ghetto”. I just assumed if they looked a certain way they were uneducated and not worth my time talking to. I, like Douglass at a point in my life came to the realization that I was wretched and needed a savior. Christ showed me and continues to show me how to show grace to everyone. He has shown me to be focused on a person’s eternal well-being than their current physical state. The sad part of my former mindset is that being of Hispanic origin I knew all too well how it feels to be judged by the color of my skin or how I looked. In Gods eyes we are all deserving of his wrath. Praise the Lord that he sent His son Jesus that some might be
saved. I continue to ask God to fill me with His love to show to others. After reading how Fredrick Douglass was treated in life, it has made me more aware of how I treat others. It has also made me aware that if I claim to be a Christian how I live can affect someone’s view on God and Christianity. If the slave holders had an accurate portrayal of the Christian life, Douglass may have been a freeman much sooner. If Douglass was exposed to true Christianity he may not have had a time in his life were he doubted God. I definitely do not want to be a stumbling block based on how I treat other people.

            The second point I want to present, is the importance of an education and in that learning about history to avoid past evils. Douglass did whatever he could in learning to read and write.  We have no excuse today. No one is preventing us from learning and studying. Actually if anything the opportunities are endless. Going to College, (if you can) but if not there are free libraries, free e-books, and community classes available for us to take advantage of. Many young adults waste so much time surfing the internet and watching TV. Doing mindless activities all day long without realizing the opportunities they have to learn and to expand their knowledge of the world and it's history. By doing this we can learn about past failures and how t
o avoid them. We can learn about successes an how to accomplish them. Gaining knowledge 
prevents one from being persuaded to a life of bondage. Even after slavery was abolished many slaves still lived under control of their masters all because they couldn't read. They could not read the documents that said they were free. Let's not take for granted our ability to read and write. To learn so easily and not have to fight and learn in hiding as Douglass did. We Americans have to stop being so proud, believing we have all the answers. We must study and learn our history to become a better people. This may be a slight tangent, but many homosexuals today try to compare their fight for equality as the same as when blacks had to fight for their equality. Oh if these same people would read how Africans were being treated and enslaved they would never compare their fight to that of the former slave. While I am on a tangent, if blacks would study history and how so many risked their lives to live a free life (such as Douglass) maybe they would not be so ready to commit abortions. Maybe they would give their offspring a chance at life instead of viewing the baby inside them as their own property to do as they please with.

           I leave you with words from Mr. Douglass written to the America people, "I exhort them to remember the history of other nations; and I remind them that America cannot always sit 'as a queen,' in peace and repose; that prouder and stronger governments than this have been shattered by the bolts of a just God."


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