CHRISTMAS WISHES
I am fascinated by people who claim to have all the answers to significant issues. The problem is that their conclusions are often made without critical thinking skills. You know…that pesky long process that involves reviewing data objectively with a rational, unbiased mind. Most graduate school students learn critical thinking; otherwise, they’d have difficulty passing a course based on their opinion without doing any research.
I am someone who does the laborious chore of research. I was born a skeptic, and just because someone in authority tells me something, I have difficulty accepting it without checking it out.
There are plenty of people who have easy answers on immigration, gun reform, abortion, homelessness, various forms of addiction, differences in lifestyles, race relations, etc. I don’t believe there are easy answers, and even with a skeptical mind, I don’t have an answer to those issues.
What I do know is what I’d do if I felt my family was in danger. Like Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, thousands of families are leaving their countries and coming to the U.S. due to the threat of murder. Yet, those in power in our state want to put them in jail if they enter our state illegally, or they want to build a giant wall to keep them out, or they want to place buoys with barbed wire in the river. One border patrol officer was told to throw them back in the river if they still made it across. Is that the answer? Is there a simple answer? No, because any solution is complicated. Besides, there’s probably NO solution!
Our obsession with guns has created a culture where no one is safe. It’s too late to completely outlaw guns, so instead, we do nothing. We cannot even take the first step to require background checks or prohibit the purchase of assault rifles because someone might need one to kill wild hogs!
We have a growing homeless population in our country. The vast disparity between the 1% and the rest of us has created this situation, coupled with the deinstitutionalization of mental hospitals and the ever-growing addiction/alcoholism crisis. Some people are homeless because of the high cost of housing. They may have a job but must live in a car. Some think building housing for people experiencing homelessness will solve the problem, but what about the necessary ancillary services? Public housing should be temporary until someone can pay for a place to live, but if housing costs continue to rise, how will they do it? Mental illness and addiction must be addressed at the same time, but some don’t want help. Do we create institutions for them to live against their will?
Women are now forced to give birth, no matter if the fetus is not viable or the mother’s health is in jeopardy. Yet, the pro-lifers believe in the “sanctity of life.” That’s been a difficult pill to swallow and reflects a profound example of hypocrisy. Just whose life is more valuable, and why, oh why, is it anyone’s business…unless there are definitive plans for caring for the baby after birth?
I habitually reflect on those issues during this time of Christmas cheer. I keep thinking about those who are in dire circumstances and cannot find their way out. Yet, they see all the Christmas lights and the hordes of people shopping to buy even more gifts for their loved ones who already have everything they need and want.
My Christmas wish is for everyone to have compassion and feel empathy for people experiencing homelessness and those fleeing their countries for a better life.
Hopefully, fewer guns will be bought this season, and women will find a way to make their own decisions about what to do with their bodies.
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