We have been and still are celebrating a Holy Season — for Christians and Jews alike — with its attendant joy, blessings, and feelings of gratitude. Yet, as another New Year fast approaches and we begin to turn our thoughts to what it might bring, there is trepidation. True, the prospect is exciting and filled with hope for many of us but there are dark rumblings in the forecast that we need to pay attention to, though unwillingly.
Politics are even worse than the “politics as usual” scenario we’ve long experienced, the politics of cronyism, corruption, graft and greed. They have always been with us but the more people have turned away from God, the worse crime has proliferated, like thousands of poisonous mushrooms after a polluted rainfall. Our sick society displays an arrogance, pomposity, and cruelty rarely seen since the fall of earlier civilizations like the Roman Empire or Biblical eras. The bullying behavior of many of our children is exceeded only by that of so-called adults in our society. It includes the reprehensible behavior of those who abuse the elderly (often their own relatives), scam all ages they can threaten and con, and psychopaths in “C” suite or middle management positions.
Civility in this country is as low as it has ever been. In many vectors, it’s completely absent which reflects poorly on our generation, regardless of our birth year. Disrespect impacts all of us. It is no longer the whining crybaby of Rodney Dangerfield or street gangs.
Disrespect for the opinions of others that don’t match our own a priori thinking has ripped the fabric of our society. For example, there are those raised to paint all Democrats or all Republicans with the same blind and biased brush. When will our citizens ever learn to pay attention to the individual instead of to the party he or she happens to be registered with? What mama said about mama’s world doesn’t always apply to what we face today. Only a fool always votes the party line; it doesn’t get any more ignorant than that.
We need to pay attention to the needs of our most vulnerable residents and how best we can protect them from harm. These include the elderly who suffer many forms of abuse, often both physical and financial at the hands of their own relatives! And certainly at the hands of those who “run” rehab centers and nursing homes. Employees there are often compassionate people who want to do the right thing but lack the training and/or cannot deal with the merciless overload they’re expected to handle. Both kitchen and nursing staff are barely qualified and often have no clue what gluten-free means, for example. They barely comprehend a diabetic diet.
We can and must pray for our country that it will survive its current tone-deaf leadership. Further, vacillating opinions and decisions all the way to the top of any entity set the stage for massive lack of confidence on the part of others. Congress is itself in disarray. With few exceptions, elected officials are more concerned with party loyalty than with what will protect the Constitution of the United States, let alone what their electorate needs and cares about.
In fact, politicians think they’re so untouchable that they will be re-elected no matter what. Unfortunately, it’s well-known that the average inattentive voter has a very short and selective memory. He or she barely remembers how their Representative or Senator voted on their favorite topic, let alone that he’s been obstructing justice for months by willful failure to act. Politicians who stonewall are in the same class as the legal advocate who uses vulgarity to intimidate opposing counsel behind the scenes. Not that the behavior is the same or means the same but its quality leaves much to be desired.
We are indeed a wicked and perverse generation and we need to approach 2020 on timid feet and sore knees. We need all of God’s blessings that we can humbly petition of Him, praying they will be granted and that His humble servants can continue their priceless work on this Earth.
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