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Understand first, then judge

Concerning the uproar over the NFL players protesting during the playing of our National Anthem: peoples’ anger and frustration are completely understandable.

I don’t agree with the protesting during the anthem but also don’t follow the NFL or any pro sports as I used to, as it has turned into a battle for the almighty dollar. (Not too far in the past, many pro athletes had to work a regular job in the offseason.)

However, before pre-judging the man who started all of this, Colin Kaepernick, I thought it only fair to the man that I understand him first.

After doing some research on the man, he believes exactly what I do. We are a great nation. But, we are no way near as great a nation as we are capable of becoming. We are the richest country in the world, yet we have 45 million to 46 million people still living in poverty. One in 5 children in this country still go hungry at some point during the year. (Both are government statistics.)

In a documentary I recently watched about the great Mickey Mantle, what he tried to get across to people before he passed away is the importance of reaching one’s potential. (It is frightening in a positive way to think of what he could have accomplished in baseball if he would have shown more discipline and restraint in his off-field life.)

This is the exact point that Colin Kaepernick was trying to make regarding our nation in his protest.

We as a country will never be perfect as it is not possible being human beings.

But we are not even close to what kind of country we are capable of becoming without perfection.

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