Initial Impressions and the Long Drive

South Dakota really is flat. The Bad Lands are anything but bad. They were really amazingly pretty. I did a lot of reading on the ride out about Indian Culture. It is really amazing. I think we learned all of this stuff as a kid, but because the Indians were so far removed, I did not emotionally process it. It was so upsetting to read the Newspaper today. It seemed all the articles involved litigation regarding reparations of some sort or depressing news from the Reservation about alcohol or history or identity. One of the stories was about some kids who were running a race that their ancestors ran, breaking out of jail...only to be killed. What a bizarre celebration of the past. The Greek's run a Marathon to victory. The Souix (Lakota) run a race to celebrate Mayrtrdom. I find the alcohol here intimidating. I also see, for the first time, how being a Pastor is being a representative of Christendom. It does not have to be, but I can see how this could be seen that way; nobody alluded to this, I just see how this could be. I look forward to seeing some of the beauty, not just of then, but of today. I also do not want to romanticize a warrior-culture past. Much to consider, much to love, much to learn. For now, I want to sleep!