That flag thing, again. No matter how much I've studied this issue I find myself thinking of more than just whether or not that flag should stay or go. It's mostly thinking about the other issues and principles being invoked, either explictly or implictly, and not being discussed or wrote about.

     What that battle flag means reduces one principle, one that is more fundamental than it just meaning different things to different people. That flag, along with the other two flags as well as symbols in general, represents whatever the person looking at it wants it to represent. The person doing the viewing puts their own meaning there. This comes from a principle a wiseman friend taught me in recent years. "We all find exactly what we look for, choose wisely what you seek." Also in this principle is implied "we don't find what we don't want to find" and "we sometimes look for things that are not really there." So the "choose wisely what you seek" part is important.

     Given the above principle this Conferderate battle flag issue becomes subjective. What it represents, (good, bad, both or neither), depends on the individuals who look at it. Such subjective problems have no proper solution. So in the end whether or not the flag stays or goes makes little difference for the reasons given for its removal. Those who see the offensiveness in the symbol will continue to see that where ever the symbol is displayed. The same applies to others who see their own meanings in a symbol.

     So, what's the real issue and controversy? The flag's meaning? A conflict between individuals and groups differences in a symbol's meaning? An implied sovereignty? If one group is offended by it, it should be hidden away? A representation of an era of slavery and war? Perhaps it's become the whole issue and controversy, in total, itself. Perhaps it's some of those other issues and principles not being discussed or talked about.

     The "teach your children well" principle. From a placard, Your Heritage is My Slavery, at the ML King day rally there's "Judge each other by what your ancestors did mine." From incidents of students being suspended from school for wearing the rebel flag emblem there's "Be ashamed of your heritage." From the boycott there's "Do what we want or else." From the extremes of the opposing political groups there's "Never give an inch, no compromise." From the meaning of flags and symbols there's "Judge each other by one's own interperation of what another's symbol means." From flying that Federal flag there's "Don't see what the real sovereignty of the United States did to the Native American culture and peoples." From ripping off and ill using another's good symbol there's, "Trash the good by using it for bad purposes."

     All in all this flag issue is not developing into a very pretty picture. Neither is this generation's legacy for some future generation's heritage. Has anyone's, any generation's, heritage been without blemish? Has any symbol been wholely perfect in it's meaning and use?

     Those of us who are of European descent are just as likely to find both oppessors and oppressed in our heritage as any other group in the world. Look up "slavery" in the Encyclopedia Britannica and you'll find discussion of indentured servitude, serfdom, feudalism, peonage, peasantry, debt bondage. They're all grouped as "forced labor." Look through European history and you'll find Saxons vs Normans, English vs Irish, Muslim vs Christain, Inquistions, Arabain vs European, Crusades, Dutch slave traders, Spanish colonialism and most any other combination of one ethnic group vs another.

     The "teach your children well" principle. Not only do some see the bad to teach in history but it seems we all just badly teach history as well as create some future generation's bad history.

     Does the flag stay or go? Given the present circumstances of the issue and controversy, can either action be taken without serious ramification to some other principles? Probably not.

     There is a partial solution to subjective problems though, it's within each of us. It's in that important, "choose wisely what you seek," part. We should not look for hate, racism or offensiveness in symbols because such things are not there. They're in the individuals who exhibit such traits in their character and are more likely just ill-using someone else's good symbols. Neither should we hide from our seeking other injustices done under the sovereignty of another flag. We should accept history for whatever all of history has to teach. We should seek to distinguish what is good in a symbol from the bad things done in the name of that symbol least we continue to yield up those symbols to those who do bad things. We should not seek to force our perspective of a symbol upon others because other's have their own perspective. And most importantly we should choose very wisely what we teach our children.