We choose what we see. Many of us choose to see only the good that happens to us. Many of us choose to see the opposite, those things that make us sad. Both views are focused on us. We are the center of ‘our’ universe, despite old age and death continually reminding us this just isn’t true.
In the 1862 Les Miserables Victor Hugo wrote, “Seeing so much poverty everywhere makes me think that God is not rich. He gives the appearance of it, but I suspect some financial difficulties.” This is dark humor indeed. It is darker still that we blame God for humanity’s miserliness; desire to horde wealth, food, land, power, beauty.
Whether it is Football strikes or basketball strikes the fan ultimately suffers. Some say Calvin Edwin “Cal” Ripken, Jr. saved baseball. He exhibited something loftier than greed. Perseverance, endurance, stamina are remembered more than the baseball strike. If this is what we remember, why isn’t it our goal?
We continually encounter choices. Our attempts to avoid making a choice are a choice. We choose to pursue sports instead of education. Portland complains there is no money for education, but there is money for professional soccer. There is no money for repairing roads, but we find money for bike lanes. There is no money for helping the poor, but there is money to expand the zoo. There is no money to create jobs, but there are more and more casinos because money is being found somewhere. The point is the money, the resources are here. God has provided. There is enough.
Socialism is not the answer. Our hypocritical attempts to legislate the nasty word integrity will never work when those who represent us are just that, our representatives. We put them there and they do in fact represent who we have become.
We can, however, not blame God, except that God did give us the gift of choice. We exercise this gift by worshiping the gift over the Giver, religion over God, and the right to do what’s best for me over what’s best for everyone.
We’ve come so far we don’t know what’s best for everyone. If we did, how would we do it? If we knew what to do, and we knew how to do it, could we? Our leaders are just like us, they know what’s best for them, but not what’s best for America.
Cal Ripken is remembered for his perseverance, endurance and stamina. What will we, no, “I” am the center of the universe. What will “I” be remembered for?
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