How Will History Remember You?

Emily - St Joseph

Emily - St Joseph

Consider for a moment the sheer gravity of this truth: that a society is fully capable of being blinded to the clear and absolute evil of an ideology, practice, or undertaking. Just think about it, regardless of your views; there is simply no denying society’s capacity for the normalization of that which even the most reduced and open of moral perspectives could find to be abhorrent. In the absence of an absolute moral code, pragmatism and rationalism step in to establish acceptable social norms. Society justifies the moral structure through what is perceived as being necessary to the maintenance of the status quo.

One needs to look no further than our own country’s history. For slave owners, slavery was critical to the maintenance of their plantations and farms. For many individuals, particularly in the South, the American way of life was seen as being contingent upon slavery remaining a socially acceptable practice. As such, the sin of slavery was neutralized as an associated cost to the benefits of free labor, and the practice itself became normalized. It was considered by many to be a ‘necessary evil’.

Have we already forgotten this? Have we forgotten the fight which we had to endure in order to see the horrors of slavery ended in this country? Have we forgotten how, in the century after slavery was illegalized, we still had to continue fight against the evils of racism and racial segregation? Do we not remember how it was a ‘common thing’? How it was widely accepted? Have we forgotten how denying another human being the freedom to live their own life was once ‘acceptable’ and ‘popular’?

So where are we now? In wiping out the stain of slavery from our culture, have we achieved some sort of societal nirvana where we now are incapable of blinding ourselves against such evil? I do not think so, in fact, I know we have not.

42 years have passed since Roe v. Wade marked the beginning of the new ‘slavery’ of our times. Once again, in the absence of publicly accepted absolutes, society has allowed pragmatism and rationalism to step in to define our morals. Individuals see abortion as crucial to maintaining their way of life. In our, pragmatic, materialist society, children have become a commodity with a price tag attached. Children are expensive and costly. They require money, time, energy, and commitment. If you can afford one or two, that’s cool; but if not, know that you risk losing your comfortable lifestyle by not exercising your freedom to choose. Abortion is okay, everyone else is doing it. It is socially acceptable and a legal practice after all, so it must be okay. You just do whatever you have to do to make sure that you live the life that you want.

For me, ignoring the fact that slavery was once justified in this country in the very same manner is just not possible.

So how will history remember this time in our country? We look back now, only about half a century, and we can see the influence of evils like segregation and racial prejudice on our country’s collective identity. We can even feel a sense of shame and sorrow for the way in which our ancestors acted. Will our descendants feel a sense of shame about how we have decided to allow abortion to become an acceptable practice?

I would like to ask one final question, what do you think of those individuals in our nation’s past which supported slavery, were racially prejudiced, or were pro-segregation? You will never meet these men and women; most of them are long dead, so their legacy is all that remains. With the exception of their support of these evils, many of these individuals would have led very normal lives. They would have families and friends they loved. They had jobs they cared about and communities they worked to build up. They were, in a sense, a lot like you and I. Yet, these men and women who supported slavery and racial prejudice are not remembered for the way they loved their friends, family, or communities. No. They are remembered for supporting a practice which will always be considered evil. To them, racism was normal, popular, and acceptable. To us, we see racism for what it really is, and therefore see them in a less than favorable light.

So perhaps you believe that abortion is normal and acceptable. You believe that, as it is legal, it is your choice and your legal right to exercise it as such. I am here and I do not judge you as a person, despite the fact that I disagree with your views. I still see the way you love your family, your friends, and your community. I can see beyond your views and see the person that you are, created in the image and likeness of God, like myself. Be advised though, that when this country wakes up to realize that it has blinded itself once again to evil, history will be a much harsher judge of your view. How do you want to be remembered? I know I want to be remembered as an individual who stood up for what is right, and did not give in to what everyone else though was okay and acceptable. The abolitionist movement was not popular in its time, but think how those men and women are remembered as heroes today! I want to be a hero, do you?

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7 thoughts on “How Will History Remember You?”

  1. Interesting approach to the abortion issue, do you also apply this logic to the way we warehouse our elderly, fail our homeless and/or addicted populations?

  2. Pingback: Pope Francis Shocked by Rabbits Misunderstanding - BigPulpit

  3. You ask: “How do you want to be remembered?” You answer: “I want to be a hero, do you?”

    Perhaps the better approach would be to ask: “Do you want to be remembered by God after you die? If so, how?”

    To be remembered as a follower of Jesus is different than being a hero. You don’t have to be a follower of Jesus to be a hero.

    You do have to make an heroic decision to be a follower of Jesus. When we each make that decision, God the Father remembers us in s special way.

    Once you have made the decision to follow Jesus, justice regarding the abortion issue resolves readily for the individual, just not in our present politics. The Supreme Court brought on this horror for our politics. The Supreme Court will have to fix it.

    1. I think this was written to pro-choicers. Most pro-choicers will identify more with heroism than with following Jesus. Many of them really believe they’re bravely helping women be “free”. I think that’s why he chose to word his article the way he did.

    2. I agree Cindy… don’t we ‘remember’ the Saints and encourage our children to read about them? – why do we do that? to model someone who is fully human and filled with faults, challenges, and living in difficult and tragic times – someone dealing with issues that we can identify with to some degree and yet still trying to be ‘saintly … Heroic. Of course we all want to be remembered in our Lord’s Book of Names… My Father knows every hair on my head… Praise God! Our Lord died for us! – but as we choose to die to our own selfishness, we can imitate our Lord in our way and imitate the saints who tried to do the same and in our time, like theirs – it’s pretty heroic – especially for a college kid when so many other things are vying for the young adults in these times.

    3. I’m with you John-I’ll take everyone on earth forgetting me so long as God my true Father remembers me. Say the name of Jesus and proclaim it before men and women here, by act, word and deed, and Jesus will acknowledge you to His Father. Guy Mcclung, San Antonio

    4. I agree with you that as Catholics we should be more concerned about what God thinks of us then men. I also believe, however, that we should strive to be viewed as heroic examples for the future of the human family. If we look at Pope Saint John Paul II and Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta we see that not only were they publicly accepted by Christ’s Church as being in heaven, but they are also viewed as heroes throughout the entire world.

      Also, this is a good article that will hopefully help all people, regardless of their religious belief. If this article’s sole goal was to help Christians understand the evil of abortion, than it would make sense to ask him/her how he wants to be remembered by God. But if the person reading the article is an atheist, he/she might be turned off because of it, and rather than being caused to think about whether abortion is evil or not, he/she might dismiss it as Christian foolishness. In order to bring those who are not Christian into the pro-life movement, we must discuss the matter at their level, or they will probably end up feeling pressured, angry, and even more set in their ways.

      In the end I believe that the world needs people who are willing to stand up for what they believe and be the heroes that will shape future generations. If we are able to do this, will we not also be accepted by our Father in Heaven?

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