Another remarkable season of 'Peace and Good Will' is upon us as we face forward in to the world. With seven billion of us, 350 million or so just here in America, there is a good chance we are not all in agreement that everything is as it should be.
A year ago the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize insisted on delivering her message of hope for education for girls. Her award and speech was given after the group who shot her in the head, had more recently murdered 120 school children in a single attack.
A man from Australia brought his successful charity to the United States, where he felt it was needed as much or more than anywhere else in the world. SWAGS.org.au supplies free of charge backpacks that have self-contained warm sleeping bags for homeless living on the streets. Luckily there is now one state where the governor has vowed to eliminate some of the homelessness. It is the state of Virginia and it is only for veterans, but it is a start.
That is not the first time the 'richest country in the world' has accepted help from foreigners. Not only have we taken assistance in hurricane disasters, but when we need to make critical human rights improvements, the United Nations has stepped up with criticisms and observations. For example, they published findings regarding the water crisis of the crumbling city of Detroit. The besieged population is forced to use as drinking water, the poisoned Flint river.
The first racial minority in the White House has had to battle the mighty headwind of Congressional and media bigotry since his first Inauguration day. Many have envisioned the U. S. a country populated by fans of the underdog. His supporters were hoping he was the beacon of light so desperately craved after eight years "on the dark side". 'Transparency', 'Accountability', 'Justice', and 'Peace' were some of the watchwords of the ensuing administrations. After more than six years, the disappointments are legion.
I wrote to him a few years ago. I expressed dismay at his blatant disregard for the Constitution he swore to uphold, specifically at that time the First and Fourth Amendments. I suggested that as a Constitutionally trained lawyer, he probably did not have college instruction outlining how the President need pay no attention to those parts of the law. I offered that since it had been awhile since his school years he might go back and audit some of the curriculum as a refresher in case he had become a bit foggy on some of the content. (There was no response.)
He has been a strong advocate of the practice of spying on everyone on the planet, while persecuting and prosecuting those who would sound the alarm bells of the shortfalls, pitfalls, and lawlessness of our eaves-dropping program. His persistently accelerated drone bombing regimen has destroyed far more innocent life (including untried Americans) than terrorist suspects.
The contradictions between saying and doing continue on with climate and environment issues. Talking a big game about protecting the world for our children's future, he at long last postponed the Keystone pipeline. Alongside thousands of miles of other fuel pipelines being approved and built, he has signed off on the permits for oil drilling in the Arctic, where the industry itself admits to a high probability of accidents.
And though jobs numbers rise nearly every month, he advocates for the
Fast Track and T.P.P. (Trans Pacific Partners) agreement which
methodically strips governments of sovereignty and legal power to buck
corporate interests. Under the T.P.P. companies cannot be sued for anything and wages
will be dictated by the 'lowest' bidder, whatever job or country.
An associate of mine was outraged that the brand new blouse she just spent $6.00 for at the world's largest retailer, had it's "V" neckline sewn crooked!
"How could they do something so stupid?!" she directed my way.
Well, since she asked, I explained that the (hypothetical?) Chinese or Indonesian sweatshop where that eleven year-old was putting together her blouse, probably wouldn't let her quit for the day until she finished that batch of one hundred in the 14th hour of her shift. I expected it entirely possible the child was getting tired when crooked necklines appeared.
These situations will only worsen with something like the T.P.P. (NAFTA on steroids).
Our society loves the gadgets, the cheap box store bargains, the swindle of lack of equal pay for women's equal work, a living wage for few workers, and no taxes for the wealthiest corporations. The ultimate American freedoms entitle the waving of a red, white, and blue flag, shouting from the highest Hummer step how Christian it is to shut out the desperate (fill-in-the-blank) refugees, and proudly carry our assault weapons in to church. According to a Texas state legislator, Syrian refugees would be bad to let in to Texas because guns are so readily available to anyone.
Empires come and go. They last about 250 years before the beginning of the end. Hallmarks of the decline are; vast disparity between the 'haves' and 'have nots' and an imbalanced social emphasis over trivial concerns such as celebrity and gaming. Violence and brutality become commonplace in entertainment. There is an extreme attraction to lurid sexual concerns. The last sign is the overblown militarization and absolute impunity of authority being unquestioned; as in thirteen months and a lawsuit to produce the video showing the shooting-in-the-back execution attended by a gallery of Chicago's finest(?) - (not to be outdone by the New York City choke hold gang, among other 'forces' around the country).
The fall of this empire would be no better or worse than any other except that it is also marked by the decline of the planet as a whole. Signs of what scientists call the Sixth Mass Extinction Event are encroaching on our human existence with population decline of vital pollinating animals and insects. Beneficial medicinal plants and weather influencing forests are being depleted at alarming rates. I don't think viable Martian colonies for the masses will be operational in time to diffuse the invited hardship and suffering.
And still we focus on what may be the least helpful in the life and death struggle of our species.
Some phenomenon of mass neural shut down has been induced with strange etched renditions of past statesmen and mysterious cult symbolism - money. People see its attainment as bedrock; accumulating numbers in accounts that can be dissolved quicker than cotton candy. Money is become god. Wars are waged for it. People worship it, cherish it, kill for it and live as though they will be keeping company with it in the hereafter (if there is such a thing). It seems as though we have forgotten this man-made thing is a tool and not a goal.
I recently heard a story from a WWI veteran. He said he was in the trenches on Christmas Eve when from the German trenches came the sweet plaintive song of "Silent Night". Soon the French joined in from their ditches of doom and then the English and Americans latched on to the tune. They all gradually stepped up on to the open earth above and greeted one another in a gesture of Christmas Peace. December 26th the insanity resumed.
My dad recounted from his time in Korea, that the Christmas ceasefire (agreed to by the non-Christian Communists) began at midnight. The quiet was surreal and short lived as the bombing resumed at the stroke of one midnight later.
I used to think dad hated Christmas. He would always become so morose and introspective. Turns out it wasn't the season. Instead, he found what was going on around him so hypocritical, just like Korea. If there could be a 24-hour cease-fire, why couldn't people bend their minds enough to just pull back, simplify, de-stress...and be human beings on a full time basis?
That is the perennial question. Must we always kowtow to the moneyed? Are we so insecure in our own existence that we need to follow as lemmings over the cliff?
In Winston Churchill's simple and profound words, "It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary."
That too, but I say do what you can, how and when you are able. Some days the disparity and hypocrisy are hard to ignore. The rise and
fall of the insane and the sane respectively, is a wave far more
comfortable to avoid. In the face of odds great and small, we must
prevail and in doing our best, we will.
I tell you now my enduring Christmas wish, hoping it can reach across a multi-cultural population.
I hope everyone looks inward without benefit of IPods and PlayStations and Netflix. Just for a bit, put down whatever crutch you may employ and then look carefully and thoughtfully at your relationships and those around you in your family, neighborhood, and community. Compliment someone just to make them feel good. Smile at the antics of a squirrel and gasp OUT LOUD at a beautiful sunset or a tree. Stand outside and boldly wave and say "hi" to the moon. Wonder at, without touching it, how that beetle knows you are closely staring at it. Then thank God for His artistry and for sharing with us.
No matter what your religion or if you have none, regardless we are all in this together.
So we should just be nice to each other.
Help one another when you are able.
And be happy. Sometimes that can be tough, but try saying it out loud, "Today I have decided to be happy."
Smile - - and repeat.
Establish "us" and "together"...it's important.
In the face of nearly countless obstacles, that will get us through and beyond the best holiday season ever.
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