“Unless someone like you
cares a whole awful lot
nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.”
~ Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
There have been so many times in the past year that I have become despondent and contemplated severing my ties to social media as well as to quit listening to the news. The vast majority of it has been very angry, hateful, and bitter. Race is turning against race, ethnicities are turning against ethnicities, young is turning against old, and the list goes on.
Disagreement is no longer civil. When I was growing up, disagreement demanded that a person listen to the views of the other in order to understand. In doing so, understanding and even compromises were able to be achieved and there were even times when the other person won us over to their side. We admitted that we were wrong and that they were right.
Nowadays, those rules of disagreement no longer exist. There is no unwritten rule that people discuss calmly. Instead, disagreement has led to denunciation. In today’s society, if someone disagrees with us, that person is not only wrong but they become the enemy. Of course, if we disagree, we are also the enemy in their sight.
How can we find peace in our society and in our world when all we do is look for ways to condemn one another? Unless we begin to care about one another, nothing is going to change. Well, it will continue to change. But, only for the worse. If we want good, positive change, we must not look for it. We must embody it. We must become the change that we desire.
That means loving those who hate us, helping those who denounce us, and forgiving those who harm us. These values are laughed at and mocked by the world; but, they are the values of Christ and they are the only things that can win over people who hate. If we use their words and actions, we become like them and like the world. That would take us away from God. If, on the other hand, we use the words and actions of Christ, we become more like Him and we will impact the world in ways unimaginable.
FAITH ACTION: As you go about your day, make sure that you fill it with great amounts of love and care.
Right on Father! I’m grateful for your words of wisdom! I look forward to your daily reflections and attending Mass again in STM church! Thank you!
You’re welcome. Thank you for your kind words.