Thanksgivings

In this season we pause to consider the things we are thankful for. Much of our attention dwells on the people in our lives who are special to us. Individuals and groups. Of all shapes, sizes, ages and backgrounds. The polyglot of people surrounding us. This is America where we welcome people of all kinds and build a special society because of that welcome. It is our history.

Too often, however, we are thankful for inconsequential things. A new car, a fancier home, a larger TV, a trip to a resort by a warm sea. Those sorts of things. Things that last a moment or a month, until yet another faddish ‘want’ replaces our ache for something more or different. And why? Because it makes us feel better; probably it makes us feel better about ourselves rather than any pure pleasure of the thing itself.

My mother once lamented that once she wanted something bad enough, then got it, its allure faded and she went on to the next want. She caught herself in this cycle of want and fulfillment, only to go on to the next want. She was an elderly lady when she shared this thought with me. I had already learned that lesson. I had already gotten bored with the pleasure acquisition cycle of my own life.

By that time all I wanted was to build a more basic platform of thankfulness.  It took adversity to bring it truly home, but the seeds of that caring had long lived within my soul.

While much of my life in the past 30 years has been focused on the well-being of others and the pleasure it brings into my life to be a part of this, I’m stunned by the obstruction other people bring to the process. There are those who resent helping others because ultimately those ‘others’ have had a role in making themselves victims. You know what I’m writing of – the labels of sick, lame, disabled, poor, homeless – go beyond those simple labels.

No, those people in need are believed by many to have caused their own downfall. They point to drunkenness, sloth, drug use, laziness, and many of the other ‘deadly sins’ that are at the root of such personal downfall. This is the victimhood theory of social justice: let those who engineer their own misery repair their own problems.

Well, I understand the frustration of some people feeling this way, after all, if there are those in need, there is the faint echo of conscience that needles us to help the person in need. That will cost us money, time and effort to accomplish. Just to help. At least a little; not a lot, you understand, but we can do our part.

Besides, the culture of America is caring for the whole and for the individual. It is part of what we learned as kids – to help the other guy get up and play a role in our society. Equal opportunity and justice for all. Remember those heady days in grade school when we learned those lessons?

Then why, I ask you, must Hubert Humphrey have to utter these words to our nation? –

“Compassion is not weakness, and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism.”

He said those words because at the time he said them public debate raged about the role of government. Just how much should our government do to help the unfortunate? Shouldn’t this be the role of the public as individuals? Shouldn't this be the role of charities and religious institutions? Yes, such was the discussion back then, but such is today’s debate as well!

‘The least government is the best government,’ say conservatives and most republicans. ‘The government should help the less fortunate else where is the justice and America’s compassion?’ say the democrats and progressives.

In fact the progressives – both liberals and middle of the roaders, focus on cause – effect – result. They are concerned with what could be done better that would avoid the pitfalls into which people fall. They are looking for answers that affect millions and hold back the progress of our society as a result. Poverty and rampant ill health are impediments to the success of our nation. Those conditions exist for a reason. We need to repair the cause of such misery, not scoff at it!

In America we share our riches with other nations less fortunate than ours. But we learned to do that for many reasons, chief among them – we learned as kids to help everyone who is less fortunate than ourselves. That means neighbors, town folk, the poor, halt and lame. That means other people in our midst. Yes, even those we disagree with.

After all such are the teachings of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and most other religions.

Or is that an inconvenient truth we don’t want to deal with?

Perhaps we need to. For our own internal well-being.

December 3, 2013