Harold Witkov
An American citizen celebrates his 58th birthday
By Harold Witkov
Would you think poorly of me if I honored myself today on my birthday? I think I am a little entitled. After all, it is my birthday.
I was born May 7, 1952, exactly 58 years ago to the day. For me, my birth date is cause for great celebration — and not just today, which marks the anniversary of my arrival. Today, on my birthday, I want to celebrate the uniqueness that began with me 58 years ago.
In my life, I have made many decisions, some good, some not so good. Today I will celebrate the 58 years of decisions I have made in my life, the good ones and the bad ones. Yes, today I will even celebrate the many stupid things I have done in my life because, by doing so, I celebrate thinking for myself — a gift bestowed from God alone.
You see, unlike many in our society, I view myself as much more than the result of a chemical reaction that began billions of years ago causing an evolutionary chain of life that brought me to this here and now. It was not by chance that creation took place and I was born to my parents, on this planet, in this solar system, and in this galaxy. My DNA is unique and my personal experiences are my own. I am an original.
In Genesis, we are told, "God created man in His own image." In Exodus, God told Moses, "I AM." Genesis also says man was given dominion "over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." Descartes said, "I think, therefore I am." Today I am going to celebrate my 58 years of "I am" — 58 years of being and thinking and being master over the creatures of the planet — and enjoy the fact that it is not the other way around.
As I celebrate my 58th "I am" anniversary, I cannot help but thank God that I live in the greatest country in the world. Many people live in countries that have governments and leaders that view their citizenry, not as unique individuals, but as sheep and cattle. These despots are narcissists because they only honor their own decision-making abilities and love to impose what they deem best for others, which really means what is best for themselves. Unlike our Founding Fathers, these foreign leaders have lost all respect for the individual in society.
As I celebrate my 58th "I am" anniversary, I cannot help but recognize that the Constitution and the American Dream are in peril and not just from despots without, but also from power-hungry politicians within. The Democrats running our country today care not that this nation's strength and greatness comes from American exceptionalism, born of individual liberty. They are too busy determining what is right and what is wrong for the herd. They too have lost respect for the individual in society.
So today, I will celebrate my 58th "I am" anniversary and the uniqueness that I bring to the world (despite the many fears I have regarding our nation's future). By honoring my own uniqueness, however, I assure you, I will also honor the uniqueness that is in all of us — and the American Dream of our Founding Fathers.
© Harold Witkov
May 7, 2010
Would you think poorly of me if I honored myself today on my birthday? I think I am a little entitled. After all, it is my birthday.
I was born May 7, 1952, exactly 58 years ago to the day. For me, my birth date is cause for great celebration — and not just today, which marks the anniversary of my arrival. Today, on my birthday, I want to celebrate the uniqueness that began with me 58 years ago.
In my life, I have made many decisions, some good, some not so good. Today I will celebrate the 58 years of decisions I have made in my life, the good ones and the bad ones. Yes, today I will even celebrate the many stupid things I have done in my life because, by doing so, I celebrate thinking for myself — a gift bestowed from God alone.
You see, unlike many in our society, I view myself as much more than the result of a chemical reaction that began billions of years ago causing an evolutionary chain of life that brought me to this here and now. It was not by chance that creation took place and I was born to my parents, on this planet, in this solar system, and in this galaxy. My DNA is unique and my personal experiences are my own. I am an original.
In Genesis, we are told, "God created man in His own image." In Exodus, God told Moses, "I AM." Genesis also says man was given dominion "over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." Descartes said, "I think, therefore I am." Today I am going to celebrate my 58 years of "I am" — 58 years of being and thinking and being master over the creatures of the planet — and enjoy the fact that it is not the other way around.
As I celebrate my 58th "I am" anniversary, I cannot help but thank God that I live in the greatest country in the world. Many people live in countries that have governments and leaders that view their citizenry, not as unique individuals, but as sheep and cattle. These despots are narcissists because they only honor their own decision-making abilities and love to impose what they deem best for others, which really means what is best for themselves. Unlike our Founding Fathers, these foreign leaders have lost all respect for the individual in society.
As I celebrate my 58th "I am" anniversary, I cannot help but recognize that the Constitution and the American Dream are in peril and not just from despots without, but also from power-hungry politicians within. The Democrats running our country today care not that this nation's strength and greatness comes from American exceptionalism, born of individual liberty. They are too busy determining what is right and what is wrong for the herd. They too have lost respect for the individual in society.
So today, I will celebrate my 58th "I am" anniversary and the uniqueness that I bring to the world (despite the many fears I have regarding our nation's future). By honoring my own uniqueness, however, I assure you, I will also honor the uniqueness that is in all of us — and the American Dream of our Founding Fathers.
© Harold Witkov
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