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Saturday, 22 November 2014
You are needed

     It is part of human nature to to desire to look out for its rights. In societies that readily tolerates violence, people physically fight for their rights. In societies that are more condemnatory towards violence, people sue for their rights and lawyers have become instruments in this fight for rights. 

     The issues of today like euthanasia and the minimum wage boils down into a battle for rights. The 29 year old depressed woman who set the date for her death defiantly fought for her right to control her destiny. The fight for the minimum wage could be billed as a fight for the right to live.

     Although we should empahatize with this human desire to be free from pain or discomfort, this focus on one's individual rights destroys community and will cause society to implode. What kind of people are we shaping when we tell them their individual rights are more important than the comfort and sentiments of the people around them? Are we shaping self-focused and cold individuals? What would happen if we come to a point where sacrifice is needed to preserve what we value?

     We live in a society where we take order and abundance for granted. We take it for granted that we can walk down the street and more than likely we won't have bandits attacking us, robbing us of our possessions. We take for granted that we don't have to worry about a foreign army attacking us, slaughtering and raping. This is because we have a state and an army that is for the most part powerful enough to keep its citizens safe. We take for granted that we have food to eat and if worse comes to worse, there are food pantries where food can be found. There is enough food in the world to feed everyone and we in America are fortunate enough that that food comes to us easily. That is why we need to be humbly thankful, not just thankful in a surfacey way, but really feel the reality that we are dependent on forces beyond our control and that the order and abundance we enjoy can breakdown at any moment.

     Although we can't know how much pain the woman who died was feeling and that we need to approach the tragedy with empathy for her, we need to remember the suffering of the people around her who loves her and that she inflicted that suffering on them. The truth is that even if we don't feel it, the world, especially those who love us, need us. It needs our resources and our kind and loving presence. The kind old lady who can't do anything for herself, and whose smile calms the hearts of those around her, is fulfilling God's purpose for her. It is a tragedy that weakness (physical or mental) is seen as worthlessness and this attitude is imbibed by the suffering who feels their only recourse is to die. Instead of sending the message that "weak" people are worthless, we need to send the message that it is the kindness and love people exude that increases their glory, not just what they possess. 

      Some people say that an increase in minimum wage would cause a loss of jobs. It may be true. However, it is not necessarily the increase in minimum wage that would cause the loss of jobs, but the business owners' decision to hold on to their profits instead of being concerned that their workers could live on the wages they give. It is not right that there are those who earn more money than they need while others, in the same company, struggle to make ends meet. The capitalist system tolerates that but the God of the Old Testament prophets would not tolerate that, he condemns the disparity between the rich and the poor. However, the responsibility to sacrifice for the greater good lies as much on the workers as on the business owners. Small business owners struggle to make ends meet too and workers need to be sensitive to that. Their insistence on a higher minimum wage will hurt those struggling small business owners, and in turn the general public. This issue will not ultimately be solved by legislation which does not deal with the heart issue, but would only build resentment and the desire to get around the law (not hire anyone, reduce hours).

     As long as we have a society where individuals are focused on their own rights, we will continue to have people seeking their own interests at the expense of others. We will have a society so torn apart that there will be no more peace, then we will have faced the judgment of God.

 


Posted by eeviray at 12:50 PM CST
Updated: Saturday, 22 November 2014 1:26 PM CST
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