I feel sorry for my daughter sometimes. She is such a wonderful mother to her two young children. She loves them with all her being and it shows all the time. She never gets impatient with them even though she may be working on her last nerve. She is true and real and constantly chooses to put others first. She is a stellar human being and I admire her tremendously.
It has not always been easy for Hannah, she is an only child of divorced parents. She grew up in a narrow environment that was loving but very judgemental of those that did not believe in the same limiting doctrine and her world view has expanded only as she has faced relationships outside of her restricted upbringing. It's the world that is the problem though, and the reason that I feel sad that we have created a society that fills it's children with false expectations about what life should be about. It is not about the accumulation of wealth to the cost of others, it's about opening our lives and our gifts to one another to the mutual benefit of all! We have lost the sense of community and sharing that defined the early Christian church and many other religious traditions too. I am sorry that she has to go to work to support her family's modest lifestyle when she is still nursing baby Hudson. I feel bad that she has this burden while seeking to raise a family. It's not that I feel she shouldn't work, just that she shouldn't have too. I am truly disheartened at our society and it's wanton consumerism. This takes a direct toll on the rest of the human family of which we are a part, it is unveiled selfishness and greed.
So how do we buck the system? Do we wait for it to crash and then lead the way in rebuilding on a purer foundation, or do we begin to show the way by changing our personal priorities and considering our choices more thoughtfully? Must we disengage ourselves from the culture we live in and create new communities of love? That may solve our personal concerns but would it change our world? Is it just a dream that we can share the wealth that is in this nation with each other and with our global relations? Senator Barack Obama is being criticized for suggesting that additional tax on the wealthy is patriotic! Well I think he's right - it is! If that's the accepted way of distributing wealth then it should be done, and heavily. Charitable giving is an opportunity to avoid heavy taxes, so give until it hurts you Wall Street executives or the IRS will give for you. 'Golden Parachutes' be damned, while the vast majority of citizens have no parachute at all! Things will not change in our country until people abandon the ethic that measures ones contribution to society in terms of fiscal productivity. Capitalism is biased to favor the few to the detriment of the many.
My daughter shouldn't have to work - she and millions like her, many with far less resources behind them. The USA is far behind the societies of Europe that make much more of an effort to help one another, even if the help is meted out by government. Isn't the principal here that our country is governed by the people, for the people? I would suggest that we look at which people our system really benefits and which people are still in need of help! Universal health care, support for all families, benefits for child care, realistic social security payments - these things and more should be the right of everyone in America. No one should have to live a lower standard than another, or stress themselves to the max just to survive. That is not the vision of Christ, or our founding fathers. Somewhere we have gone mightily astray!
May you find love and peace in your life and value only the things that last!
Geoff
It has not always been easy for Hannah, she is an only child of divorced parents. She grew up in a narrow environment that was loving but very judgemental of those that did not believe in the same limiting doctrine and her world view has expanded only as she has faced relationships outside of her restricted upbringing. It's the world that is the problem though, and the reason that I feel sad that we have created a society that fills it's children with false expectations about what life should be about. It is not about the accumulation of wealth to the cost of others, it's about opening our lives and our gifts to one another to the mutual benefit of all! We have lost the sense of community and sharing that defined the early Christian church and many other religious traditions too. I am sorry that she has to go to work to support her family's modest lifestyle when she is still nursing baby Hudson. I feel bad that she has this burden while seeking to raise a family. It's not that I feel she shouldn't work, just that she shouldn't have too. I am truly disheartened at our society and it's wanton consumerism. This takes a direct toll on the rest of the human family of which we are a part, it is unveiled selfishness and greed.
So how do we buck the system? Do we wait for it to crash and then lead the way in rebuilding on a purer foundation, or do we begin to show the way by changing our personal priorities and considering our choices more thoughtfully? Must we disengage ourselves from the culture we live in and create new communities of love? That may solve our personal concerns but would it change our world? Is it just a dream that we can share the wealth that is in this nation with each other and with our global relations? Senator Barack Obama is being criticized for suggesting that additional tax on the wealthy is patriotic! Well I think he's right - it is! If that's the accepted way of distributing wealth then it should be done, and heavily. Charitable giving is an opportunity to avoid heavy taxes, so give until it hurts you Wall Street executives or the IRS will give for you. 'Golden Parachutes' be damned, while the vast majority of citizens have no parachute at all! Things will not change in our country until people abandon the ethic that measures ones contribution to society in terms of fiscal productivity. Capitalism is biased to favor the few to the detriment of the many.
My daughter shouldn't have to work - she and millions like her, many with far less resources behind them. The USA is far behind the societies of Europe that make much more of an effort to help one another, even if the help is meted out by government. Isn't the principal here that our country is governed by the people, for the people? I would suggest that we look at which people our system really benefits and which people are still in need of help! Universal health care, support for all families, benefits for child care, realistic social security payments - these things and more should be the right of everyone in America. No one should have to live a lower standard than another, or stress themselves to the max just to survive. That is not the vision of Christ, or our founding fathers. Somewhere we have gone mightily astray!
May you find love and peace in your life and value only the things that last!
Geoff
2 comments:
There should be plenty for all in this country...no child should ever be hungry here...ever...for any reason! Higher taxes may or not be patriotic...I don't know...render unto Caesar what is Caesar's but I am thinking that they think Bail out is very patriotic!!! Tee Hee!!
Hey...miss you! How's things going?
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