The Miami times. [volume] (Miami, Fla.) 1923-current, 1956-11-24

AT THIS season OF the year, IL
might be well for us to take some
time to think about the philosophy
behind the NAACP-or the mean
ing of the fight for freedom that
is being made by the National
Association for the Advancement
Of Coloped People.
AT Thanksgiving we give
thanks for our many blessings.
And surely one of our greatest
blessings here in America is
freedom, even though this word is
interpreted differently by some
groups of people, and in various
sections of our country. However,
freedom is here in America,
nevertheless, although it may be
sleeping as far as some citizens
are concerned.
We can also be thankful that
we can fight for our freedom if it
seems sleeping or lost to us. We
have the orderly process of law
to help us; we have judges and
courts and the us. Constitution.
And most of all we have the
ideals, hopes and dreams that
have gone into the making of a
country into the greatest democ-
racy the modern world konwS.
But the fight for freedom is
not an easy one for those to
whom it has been denied for any
reason at all. If some groups in
America have been denied GER
tain rights for a long period of
time, due to custom or eNoediency
or any one of a number of things,
a curious situation comes into
being. The status quo Cor things
going along as they always have),
has become such a manner of
living, that any determination to
break this habit on the part of
those dissatisfied with it. or any
attempt to throw it off, becomes
a situation rife with tension, APP
prehenSion, fears and sometimes
violence.
1t makes very little difference
to many people that the status
quo may be wrong, both morally
and legally. The falling down of
the walls of customs and the
breaking of accustomed thought
habits requires a difficult auyu =
ment.' And if prejudice and dis
elimination, are associated with
these changes, it becomes even
harder.
Change is always difficult, but
life itself is a series of them. Lpe
is not static thing, and we only
progress by changes. The way and
the manner in which we meet
these changes, or adjust to them,
is the measure of our selves as
individuals and members in our
society. Ideally, in a democracy
all members must be considered.
We are not supposed to have a
caste system here in America, and
right and privileges are guaran-
teed to all citizens. In theory, at
least, all of us should be enjoying
our guaranteed rights.
A long time ago, an English
poet said these words: mo man
is an island, entire unto himself"
In slightly different phrasing, we
can read these same words said
by Confucius, "All men are bro
TIERS" Buddha, a great religious
teacher living in India 600 years
before the birth of Christ, taught
the same thing. judaism repeats
this same precept, time and again.
Most of US are familiar with the
TEACHINGS of Jesus, and so will
recognize that His teachings of
the brotherhood of man follows
the same line of thought.
Perhaps there are some in our
modern mechanical civilization
who will say that we do not need
philosophy or the precepIs of
great religious teaching these
days. They might say we have
progressed beyond the need Tor
these things, with all our great