This is an odd time to be alive. Well, I guess most of us
can say that just about any time or all the time! Depends on what you are
referring to. What time am I referring to? Well now, the current time
of November and December 2017.
I’ll go into more detail to help you understand.
We say we are a nation of families valuing each other’s
family. We say we believe in the institution of marriage and all it implies and
requires of us. But we commit adultery, have divorce, and marry again; we also
live together out of wedlock, in fact, most young couples live together as a
trial marriage before taking their vows! What does this say about family
values? And is it wrong or OK?
We say we are about love and bringing new life into this
world. We do and we don’t; and when we do, we don’t always do a very good job
of it. There are marriages where children are not desired and so they are not
produced. Then there are those who produce and produce kids for years. Of
course, there are those couples who cannot reproduce. For those couples who do
have children, how well do they raise them? And who can adequately judge such
things?
We say love your neighbor as yourself; yet we don’t all love
ourselves because we don’t know how; somehow, we missed that lesson of life!
And even if we do love ourselves, we decidedly do not love our neighbors,
leastways, not all of them. We pick and choose. We are humans and have
‘inalienable rights’, right? Or do we?
When you see a stranger struggling, do you help? Or do you
look away and change directions so you will not encounter him, or her? The
Bible – and Koran, Torah and every other ‘holy book’ throughout the ages, told
us to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the sick, welcome the stranger
and love one another. Every holy book. Throughout all of history. It is true.
You know this is true.
And yet, what do we do? The opposite? Or as little as we can
get away with?
You know the answer to that question! Yes, you do!
We do as little as we can get away with, or nothing at all.
We make excuses. We turn our backs on those with troubles, unless we really
like them! But there are so many others who need help to survive. We are not
talking about thriving here; just surviving. What do we do to truly fulfill our
age-old teachings? Do we get involved or do we write a check or simply ignore
the issues?
The other day we went to a neighbor’s funeral. It was a
lovely visitation, filled with laughter and joy as we remembered his kindnesses
and full, rich life with family and friends. The service was touching and
meaningful as well. We remembered not only the deceased, but the context of his
life and the world that surrounded him. His family was present. Large, loving
and engaged in the proceedings. Unity was evident. Four generations present and
all getting along. The friends, neighbors, churchgoers and colleagues from past
careers were also present. We all got along just fine. Clem had a beautiful
life, family and embraceable universe. The evidence was unmistaken. He will be
missed, of course; but he will be remembered more. That’s the kind of guy he
was – memorable in his kindness and inclusion.
Those are major values we all give voice to. But he lived
them with obvious results.
Do the rest of us do so? I know I do, or at least intend to.
Sure, I miss the mark often, but I do hit the target a lot as well. It takes
concentration and discipline to live a life of purpose and value. I wonder how
successful we are? Probably not much. Still, there is the effort and the
intent. We can only hope we get ‘credit’ for that alone.
I guess I’m writing this because there is a stark divide
between Clem’s life and what we are witnessing in public every day. We have
sexual predators running for public office; some of them win office; others won
it years ago without the public knowing of their misdeeds.
We have murders and violence aplenty throughout the land.
And little is done to stem those horrors. We say we are our brother’s keeper
yet erase many programs which attempt to deliver on the needs of my brother’s
situation. We worship things and wealth without valuing the people.
This past week we gave thanks for our blessings.
Thanksgiving Day is that sort of holiday. Do we really mean it and serve it? Or
do we pretend?
The holidays lie before us. Most religions celebrate this
time of year for central values and teachings they espouse. Are we listening to
them? Are we yielding to principle or greed during the holidays?
Maybe we should think more seriously on these matters. And
choose the value approach over the greedy one.
This is a time of renewal. If we are successful, perhaps
this ‘odd time to be alive’ will turn out better than we thought!
November 27, 2017
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