"Unity" is a beautiful word.  For me, it has the connotation of strength, peace and tranquility.  It is great when a family, a business, a church or a nation is united, unified, hanging together, being of one mind. Imagine what can be accomplished when everyone is pulling in the same direction, pursuing compatible goals and pressing forward with a common purpose. There have only been rare glimpses of such a state of affairs in this country in my lifetime.

A few decades ago, a virtually unknown screenwriter created a nine-part, feature-length saga, telling of an intergalactic fight between good and evil. The screen writer, George Lucas, shot to stardom virtually overnight with the release of his blockbuster film Star Wars, over 30 years ago.

"Nothing is worthy of respect. Nothing is sacred. There are no absolutes. Humankind must make its own way."

This widely held belief or viewpoint is an atheistic, materialistic approach to life. If one holds this view, then there are no real restraints on behavior. After all, who cares? What difference does it make? According to this view, there is no accountability.

As we parted ways from a meaningful conversation, a friend once bid me a cheerful farewell by saying, "Don't work too hard!" As I began to think about his statement, I wondered, what is wrong with hard work? And how did hard work become vilified in our modern society? Isn't hard work the means of achievement?

It is going to take awhile, but I may be able to eventually forget the North Carolina newspaper picture of a man, his smiling wife and their four young sons grouped together for a swearing-in photo. The shock of seeing this seemingly happy scene in relation to the story it highlighted resulted in a sigh and sudden blur of tears.

Why should that be a problem?