So, what makes us slaves?

February 4, 2013

We can become slaves in two ways. The first is through evil, money grubbing people forcing incomprehensible harm on generations past, present, and future. Family ties, trust, heritage, love, and of course freedom. We have talked about African American (Black) slaves and the realities ones status being changed from that of members of the human family to that of chattel. I will play with the second way we become slaves later.  

Good people wanting to bless the lives of others who have had their lives ruptured by war, custom, forced slavery, economic crises, and other life changing experiences, often attempt to make things right by compensating in the lives of those in slavery by making laws, or otherwise crafting assistance for people that further erodes their inalienable rights. Wishing to do good by providing everything necessary furthered the enslaved status and forged a second class of people that began to rely solely on others and lose their personal creativity, ambition, and energy.

In the generations when slavery was considered legal and moral, many went out of their way to give slaves a bit of comfort though providing minimal, but livable accommodations, reasonable understanding regarding familial relationships, and a small degree of being part of a community. No matter how harsh the circumstances, or what comforts were provided, the lack of freedom, the very notion that they were human beings and as such, granted the same gifts from god, was left completely wanting and  without real understanding.

Many sailors on the Hornet let their lust for enslaving tools like drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and depraved sex became locked in the prisons of their minds, spawning new enslavements for themselves that deprived them of their health, their integrity, and any sense of futures without these depravities following them to their very graves. I watched people become infected with the most tragic of venereal diseases. One bright, handsome sailor from Alabama named “Red” became infected with syphilis and that became his chains of slavery. Another, an American Indian, with no history of alcohol consumption became a complete drunk, coming back to the ship after liberty, crawling over to the sleeping port, falling down the stairs, puking all over himself, then sleeping their on the hard floor until the next day, when he would clean up, return to the city and repeat the process. Another named Davis from Arizona had never smoked or drank because of family traditions. He began smoking and drinking to be part of the crowd and soon was among those that had lost his claim to being a free man. Several years after we were all part of our civilian lives, I learned that he had acquired tongue and lip cancer and had a significant part of his face removed.

In talking with some wonderful neighbors yesterday, I shared with them that I had done many things in my seventy years that would creep back in my life in an instant, caused by a picture, an incident, or simply a flash-back to times long forgotten. We were talking about the blessing of having the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives and the comfort of having the Holy Ghost and ministering angels as beacons and warm spiritual promptings. He reaffirmed my knowledge that we can and are forgiven of those transgressions that all mankind is prone to do. We are, after all, imperfect and subject to the flesh, It is up to each one of us to reach beyond those limitations, those enslaving acts we have fallen to and seek out the blessings of our families, of the sacrament, of the temple, and of eternal life and exaltation.

God bless you as you seek out the blessings provided you through God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.

Duane Jacobs, Grandfather, father, brother, uncle, cousin, and fond friend