If you have been following the latest debacle in the Senate you know that Senator Jim Bunning, former Hall of Fame pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies, and the oldest Republican member, has been objecting (or filibustering) to bills that have had a unanimous vote to pass by the rest of the Senate body, including his Republican brothers and sisters. According to the Associated Press, the move had forced some 2,000 federal employees into unpaid furloughs, put jobless benefits in jeopardy for millions and halted more than 40 highway projects. Now I know that this may be an isolated case of a Senator who has lost some of his marbles but, as it turns out, he is not seeking election in November for another term, so what the heck he’ll just vote his conscience.
Ah, there’s the rub. His conscience. It’s amazing how many egos on this planet have consciences of unwavering stupidity. Many people are afraid of entitlements because they will have to pay for it with their hard earned, sweat laden tax dollars – and why can’t the bums just get off their butts and find a job, or pay for health insurance or find a place to live. It’s a ‘not in my back yard’ mentality. Should these well off folks find themselves one day to have lost it all, and part of the society of the needy, they will be the loudest ones begging for help.
Do we have any inkling of the pain that people may suffer at the hands of others selfish motivations? Can we honestly stand by while they go hungry or homeless? There is something wrong in the human psyche with this equation and we must try to understand where it comes from and work on changing it.
There is a commercial on TV where a good samaritan helps a woman with her baby stroller on a rainy street corner. Then she gets the notion to help someone and does so and on and on it goes, passing it forward. Well let’s stop and think about our place among all others on this planet. Let’s offer gestures that might help someone else, no matter how small. Once we start this thread of oneness with our fellow travelers we might just change the consciousness of the world. As difficult as it may be for us humans to change this one quality let’s give it a try. It’s just another step toward enlightenment and we seem to be getting closer every day.
