While it's not every day that I meditate on society and the world on an abstract level, when I do have flashes of those thoughts, I see flashes of desperation and a sense of panic that only deepens and becomes more rooted with time. From more harmless moments like Black Friday shopping, where shoppers elbow one another, push one another and race towards their treasures, to moments of road rage or inconsiderate driving, when drivers cut one another off, carelessly risking the lives not only of those in their own vehicle but those in the others around them. And then we can travel the spectrum to events like those that unfolded in Newtown, CT, on Friday. Murderous contempt for our fellow human beings--in this case for the most innocent and promising of our population.
Ironically, what I've observed in the world around me is that as our economy blossoms into a more global one in nature and our individual cultures begin to meld into a more universal and multi-cultural society, we have become more and more isolated. This self-concern and isolation has started to foster incredibly unhealthy and often tragic trends. This self-concern and isolation has devalued love and compassion for others and internalized these things so that it's strongest only for ourselves. This trend has made it so that we celebrate those who still embody love and compassion for others as heroes. They, undoubtedly, are, but the sadness is found in the fact that that is what we were all built to be. Without traveling too far down a Christian road, the symbolism in the cross, itself, reminds us of the importance of our relationships and love for one another. The cross tells us that our relationship with one another is just as important as our relationship with our Maker. And yet, we so easily and often forget this. Just as so many faiths tell us that we should go to worship on a weekly basis, they should tell us to worship one another always. My safety is as important as your safety and well being, so I should care for you--stranger, friend or family--as I care for me.
So many things in our country need to be fixed. But, coming down from that level--the one where our government and other systems are responsible for change--we need to be fixed. We need more parents, more people, who can help people like the shooter in Newtown. We need more people to do this so that we no longer have to watch the faces of 6-year-olds and 7-year-olds flash across our screen because they have been brutally murdered with a semi-automatic rifle. We need to be responsible for the well being of one another and the well being of our society. We need to stop traveling down this dark road of isolation, helplessness and lack of concern on a daily basis. Because all of those days that pass will always lead to a day like Friday and the subsequent days after of suffering and sadness. We landed on the moon, we innovate new technologies, we find ways to make loads of money. Now, we need to figure out how to help one another. How to love and be compassionate again.
