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OpinionSeptember 8, 1996

To the editor: Whether or not there is a God, we as a nation can't argue the point that we have been attaining greatness these past 30 years. Yes, we have had many significant breakthroughs, yet in the back of our minds we find a persistent, nagging uneasiness. ...

Bruce Collier

To the editor:

Whether or not there is a God, we as a nation can't argue the point that we have been attaining greatness these past 30 years. Yes, we have had many significant breakthroughs, yet in the back of our minds we find a persistent, nagging uneasiness. Some would call it a lingering Christian dogma still clinging on from the Victorian age of hellfire and damnation. Some would call it God's persistent Holy Spirit convincing us of sin and calling us to a biblical, godly repentance. Whichever is right, the freedoms we have gained the past 30 years show us to be a totally different culture today.

But have we truly achieved a better society and personhood? I believe the true answer to be a resounding no. even if we are of the atheist viewpoint or the do-what-feels-good hedonistic persuasion. The ultimate goals we strive for tend to be the same: love, acceptance, prosperity, purpose, meaningful career, reproduction and child-rearing, the same ideals societies have sought for centuries. But by these same criteria, can we truly say we are attaining our goals more now than 30 years ago?

Many look back at the good old days longing to live there again. Yet more seem to appreciate the newness of today. So today I ask us to inwardly reflect on the goals of all mankind. What are the goals we have today, and will they bring lasting peace and happiness with purpose? Or are they more or less temporary, instant gratification, popular culture, media marketing promises which when bought into are discard for the next high?

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If there is no God, then why worry about the do's and don't's? Find your purpose in every way you care and seek the ultimate goals of mankind in whatever way you deem appropriate, even to a high calling of wisdom and truth. Just do it. But if you truly in your heart desire these goals, I believe the bridge to the past is a temporary trip we all could learn from.

Yes, we all do have to go forward ultimately, for it is our time. But what will our time be? And if we decide to choose some of the old-fashioned ideals our parents and grandparents cherished, and if we with to look back 30 years from now with accomplishment in the lives we have lived, it is of utmost importance we choose the proven methods of attaining these goals now.

And if, perhaps, there is a God, then maybe finding approval in the next dimension of life isn't a bad thing either.

BRUCE COLLIER

Cape Girardeau

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