Of the many things in this world that truly bothers me is the duality forced on us by those in power. But this has always been the case.
In our Christian upbringing, we are told of the seven deadly sins, the ones that will never be forgiven. Our priests and ministers, our fathers and mothers, and our teachers and bosses drill this into our heads. The leaders create laws with harsh punishments for violating these deadly sins. Just to modernize the names, we are talking about: selfishness, greed, lust, ambition, laziness, pride, and deceit.
The obvious question is which one of our political, religious, or educational leaders do not break each of these on a continual basis. I will only mention greed, although all of them are just as important. It is a crime to steal. And yet, the masses are subject to losing everything at the hands of the leaders. Low wages, a lack of supported health insurance, the high cost of everything from food for our tables to education, which will allow us some form of financial stability. All of these are legislated against the poor.
Congress cannot pass a budget; so, the officials shut down the government in protest, protest against who can live where, who can earn what. I have many friends who are now on unpaid leave. This means that it is very likely that their paychecks will be less, due to the shutdown; but our congressmen and senators will continue to get paid.
Costs of education are rising, because congress limits what the government will spend on education; so, counties and cities have to scrimp, causing lower school teachers to spend their own money to buy pencils and paper for their students. And remember, teachers are one of the lower-paid working classes in the country. Many teachers are forced to get their food at food pantries.
When we speak of college, state funding for even community colleges is so low that even the cost to go to one of these is getting out of the reach for many. Greed, a wonderful sin for the rich to profit from.
I could go on, but I think you get the point.
We are also taught to be humble, which I think is a wonderful virtue. As with learning to get along, our leaders missed that day in kindergarten. I am always amazed at how boastful our leaders are. There vainglory is only surpassed by their bombastic talk.
We live in a wonderful country, a country that my fathers, my son, and I all served faithfully in the armed services. Historically, all men were subject to serve in the military, but no longer. How many elected officials have worn the uniform . . . embarrassingly few. If we are supposed to be equal in this country, then we should demand true equality. But, then again, Napoleon, the pig in Orwell’s Animal Farm did say that everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others. That holds so true today in this democracy we call America.
Our self-appointed leaders, those who twist the words of the Bible to suit their personal needs always let us down. Always think of what is good for them, not us. Demand that we praise them for deeds not yet, or never, done. These are the false gods that holy men from the time of Abraham to the time of Martin warn us about.
One ridiculous point: there are so many laws against sex and abortion. Our leaders do not allow women the right to control their own body. The Bible is quoted as a resource for these laws. Sex is mentioned less than 50 times in the Bible. Hmmm . . . want to know how many time poverty is mentioned? Over 2000!!! Where are the laws against poverty? Twisted vengeful thinking
I am strengthened by my understanding of my position in this world. Unless I win the lottery, which I doubt will ever happen, I will never be rich, money rich. But I am rich in so many other ways. I have a terrific loving family. I teach, and most of my students appreciate the effort I put forth to help them improve their lives. I also have faith. I know that God provides. I have had so many “Bad” things happen to me, that at times I have wanted to throw in the towel. But I am strengthened by those around me. The people that God put in my life to give me the support I needed to survive. I am truly blessed. God is my refuge in this chaotic world. When I take the time to think and pray, I am settled by His presence in my life.
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Meditating to Heal 