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Show Guest Editorial CofldDDiniirQDSli's This Note: Editor's great editorial written is a by a national columnist. It contains some interesting ideas for pondering. By Anthony A a each comments pro and columnist variety Harrigan of receives letters week con. I would like to share with readers one of the critical letters I received in recent days. It was a letter condemning my view, expressed in an article published in a California newspaper, that the in- stitution of the family is the foundation of our civilization and must be strengthened. My article made the point that a happy, productive life requires a spirit of sacrifice. One reader objected to this town, state, country and on down with the sinking ship? Discipline? Must we take orders because I said so, and Im your (parent, policeman, president)? Unity? With what, a suction cup, perhaps? But his last reason takes the irrationality cake: the importance of personal sacrifice for the benefit of all. Who decides what will benefit all? A priest or a social engineer? The creed of sacrifice, part of nearly every major line of thought and rejected the concept of sacrifice that is emoedded in the n Judeo-Christia- woewvs eoimdleirsiiiniedl religious tradition. He wrote as follows in a letter to the editor: Anthony Harrigans Nov. 5 column clearly posits threats to individual liberty which could be expected if mainline conservatism controlled government. He preaches sacrifice. sound Conservatives rational when they advocate has philosophy, produced governments and with them, wars, slavery, sacrificing their Jives in order that other people and true values might Nazi-tyrann- survive. Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the great Russian hero of liberty, describes in the Gulag Archipelago how nameless men and women Harrivans values, many such as myself, have chosen to be childfree. And, child-boun- d are inpeople creasingly choosing alternative parenting styles which are less restricting or less costly than traditional parenthood. Why? Because theyve recognized sacrifice for what sacrificed This a forthright is of pression their lives for fellow prisoners of the Soviets on the icy barrens of Siberia. Every day, in American cities, fireman and policemen risk their lives for other people. Often they run risks beyond the call of duty. The individual who refers to sacrifice as an evil may have his life spared by the sacrificial conduct of a public guardian or neighbor. itis...evil. world economic freedom. However, when they advocate social control of personal lifestyles theyre . irrational, as Mr. Harrigan is in his reasons for traditional family structures. Loyalty? To whom, to what? Presumably to family, tless Europeans resisted the joy an industrial societys high living standards. Because family life has traditionally represented Mr. ex- the me philosophy. One wonders how anyone taxation, welfare; everything oppressing mans survival can live by such a philosophy. qua man. Only because of If sacrifice is an evil, what mans inherent selfishness binds humankind together? What keeps families, comand rational mind do we en munities and nations together in time of poverty, crisis, and war? All men are dependent on the sacrificial spirit. Our country exists because men and women were willing to sacrifice their lives for it. The same thing must be said of our religion. Civilization would have been extinguished long ago but for SPECIALISTS the glorious sacrifice of brave people. In our own century, coun- - SH Qia&i. and! Sujpjpfy Co. 1590 PIPE WALL AVE. OGDEN, UTAH 84404 PHONE: for water, gai, sprinkling system 399-559- 6 STEEL & PLASTIC Mists sinks Vxr- -1 sss:- Storm Windows Storm Patio Doors ' 1950 Wall Av. 50S So. Main, Brigham 14 O O o Since 1974, the year the 55MPH speed limit began, it's been the biggest factor in reducing highway deaths... over 36, 000 lives saved. o 394-77- 65 'A - it works! HOUtfi The me philosophy theorist has the notion that sacrifice is a form of an attempt to profit. This notion reduces all men and women to the same low level, the cowardly and the wetness when my Ive been known to check the brush for friend heroic, the greedy and the Diane said. his teeth, my son tells me he has brushed generous. That's not human nature as each morning BEFORE it has been revealed over My daughter brushed faithfully us. told Dorotha thousands of years. Heroism eating breakfast, this past weekend to is real. Courage is a fact. My girls had the unmitigated gall These qualities are the high show me the tube of toothpaste and explain, complain, and points of the human charac- just generally nag that the reason they suffered countless ter. They represent human cavities was that Im guilty of purchasing the cheapest toothnobility. paste without flouride. The spirit of sacrifice is I instantly began to feel apologetic and ridden with guilt, of enthis nobility. The when I realized that for some strange reason Kitty had failed part tire world honors this spirit to mention the fourteen pounds of hardtack that she had and recognizes that it is a crunched down this Christmas vacation. great good. Only a very few Also, nothing was said about Suzanne going on a ten day fail to understand. her tooth brush. camping trip last summer and forgetting of vital inAnd then, way off in my secret store-hous- e Dont bubble mother could I hear say, forget my formation, try gum ! Mother always detested bubble gum. She insisted that it not only rotted ones teeth, but actually pulled the fillings from our pearly whites. I knew, when I was ten, that mother was much mistaken and horribly prejudiced. How could anything as tasty as bubble gum cause problems? I always countered that our dentist did shoddy work so he could do the job again, and make me suffer more. The price of fillings never entered my head. But now, move over Mama, Im on your side. Reality has finally caught up with me. Odd, but when I began mothering I gallantly struggled with the children to brush at least twice daily and pointed out the perils of yellow teeth. I told them terrible tales of social trauma caused by dirty teeth and the resulting scars suffered by those lazy enough to have yellow teeth. Today, Im more than delighted to settle for buttercup teeth: ! ! yellow, cavity-fre- e baths tebs tauMte Replace your old windows with storm windows! ads where the I get a real kick out of those television not using the children their about mothers are complaining I know both that getting and You correct brand of toothpaste. with cares one what. no them to brush is the problem, battle with oonstant tooth a losing we home wage our In knows personally someone who has child Each always decay never soiled their teeth with a brush and consequently has never had so much as one filling! A Public Service of This Newspaper & The Advertising Council & The Department of Transportation fat.t-- 4 ' Utfeih Letter to the editor Editor; Please excuse me for bothering you. I know you are a very busy person. I hope you might be able to help me out. At present I am in a federal correctional institution and have no one to write or get mail from. I really do need someone. It is my thought that if you were so kind as to publish my letter or even a small ad possibly someone will see it and write to me. In closing this letter I would like to thank you for taking time off of your busy day to read my letter ' Respectfully, Walt W. Terry P.O. Box W Lorn Poc, Calif. 93438 (my age is 25) Editorial per Winning isn't show everything... The Utah Opera Company will stage its first performance of the new year, Verdis Otello, in the newly restored Captiol Theatre. Featuring tenor Glade Peterson in the title role, the production will be given Feb. 1, 3, 5, and 8. . v.t::? : Buy One Sandwich Get One for SPAGHETTI Eli. Buy One Dinner Get One for . . . I 1.00 OFF Expires Jan. ViiUiii M s - Expires Jan. :iii ::3 31, 1979 $1.00 OFF itMSsisiisMSM f $1.00 OFF iii ON YOUR FAVORITE MEDIUM DEEP DISH PIZZA ON YOUR FAVORITE LARGE DEEP DISH PIZZA M ::: 942-205- 8 Iii: 1 1 31, 1979 Expires Jan. jiii isssstiisssUH i GRANGER 2787 W. 3500 So. 968-222- 31, 1979 Hi: COUPON COTTONWOOD 6965 So. 2300 E. television broadcast and was also performed by the San Francisco Opera Company. Its performances will be the Utah Symphony with guest conductor, Juan Matteucci. Mateucci is musical director and conductor of the Symphony of Auckland in New Zealand. will be Fred Adams, director of the Utah Shakespearean Festival. A faculty member tJtttntttTttTJTtTttmtttntttTrtHJtrmtttttnjTtJttTTttJttttj?!, Expires Jan. Metropolitan Opera" Staging this production 0 UP 0 Ni C . . 50 OFF B r.:. B 31, 1979 General Director Glade Peterson has been saving this opera for the companys premiere production in its new home, and it happens to coincide with a year in which a resurgence of interest has occured in Verdis Otello. Recently Otello was seen on the Live from the 2 CLEARFIELD 609 No. Main 773-456- 0 Coupons Good at all Locations MTN. HOME, IDAHO American Legion Blvd. 1525 587-700- 6 1 at Southern Utah State College, Adams is considered a Shakespearean authority. The opera will be presented in both English and Italian. Performance in English will be given Feb. 1 and 5, and in Italian on Feb. 3 and 8. Utah Opera is interested in educating and building new audiences as well as satisfying opera devotees and thus feels both in productions languages will make the work accessible to a broader spectrum of listeners. Tickets for Otello are now on sale at Daynes Music, 156 S. Main, 534-084- 2. Beginning Monday tickets may be purchased at the Capitol Theatre Box Office. Winning isnt everything, its the only thing said Vince Lombardi, the late professional football coach for the Washington Redskins in the 1960s. Is it true that winning is the only thing that matters in sports? Yes, the way most coaches, athletes, fans and the media act, one would have sufficent evidence to conclude that such is the case. In fact, Adolph Rupp, one of the nation's winningest collegiate basketball coaches ever once said: If winning isnt the most important thing, then why bother to keep score? After a game, no one asks: What happened? but rather Who won? Sports has become the religion of America and one can be certain that more people watch Sunday Sports than attend Church Services. But while winning at sports is the big thing, losing at sports is the real downer and today many equate losing at sports with death. One top collegiate coach said it this way: To lose at sports is worse than death; you have to live with defeat. The biggest problem with sports today is that nobody knows how to lose. Of course we all say that everybody likes a good loser. Yet the restriction is that the loser has to be the other team. If a team wins, we say the players did it, however if our team loses-theits surely the coaches or referees fault. Coaches are hired or fired on the basis of their win-los- s records. In fact, when a coach is hired, hes fired-th- e date just hasnt been filled in yet. Once a team starts winning games, people will accept nothing else. Some coaches sarcastically say they are in situations where they must win ll of ten games to keep their jobs. Competition and winning is the spice of sports, says George Leonard, "but if you make U whole meal youll be sick. In the final analysis, winning is important, but only because it makes you do your best. Losing not like is death because there is really no victory withoutreally some defeat. There is actually more to winning than the final score or a championship. Such forgotten things that both teams can win include: winning friends, respect, confidence, knowledge, skill and plain fun. ut more young people keep growing up with the idea, that losing is like death and is a disgrace in sports and they are not sure they can win ; then they will be reluctant to even try or play sports for fear of failure. Not trying in life or sports is the real disgrace however and such win win, win attitude wiil teach some to actually avoid failure rather than seek success. A winner is really a person who works to the best of his or her ability every time they play even if they score fewer points than their opponent. With such emphasis on winning, many try to win at any cost because it appears that winning is even more to be sought after than We might well post the following warning on all sports facilities: Caution, losing may be hazardous to your health. The only reason to play sports is not just to win and hopefully we will understand that before we have any more who are afraid to sports drop-out- s play for fear of losing. Sports is only a game. n t. Bv Lvnn Arave |