Hallelujah, Honey! The headlines from Chile are wonderfully uplifting: "Viva Chile!" is only a partial description of what the world is experiencing. As we speak, the sixteenth miner has been lifted to the surface from 2000 feet under the earth after spending over two months is his underground prison. Not only has Chile been the epitome of concern and well-thought out problem- solving in this disaster, but the world, its business, political and social structures, all aided in the safe return of these miners. In the greater scope of things, this unity is the true headline of the day. Not only has this been the rescue of 33 miners, but humanity has been likewise rescued. At least for this moment.
This is what the human endeavor is all about. People, business concerns and governments must all come together to work for the common good. This is the ultimate example of humanity racing to better and save its own. This is what is so sorely missing from our everyday lives. No wonder that, when the forces of good and cooperation coalesce, we are so spiritually and morally exalted. Unfortunately, we see this altruism and coming together surface too often only after a disaster has occurred, i.e. 9/11, the Haiti earthquake, the Wall Street almost-meltdown, etc. Other areas that are screaming for our attention, in advance of a possible calamity, are basic human rights, equality in justice, infrastructure renovations, climate control, health care availability/ coverage and education upgrades. Domestically, while the GOP falls back on their outdated platform of "less government" in a time not since the Great Depression that is so stressed by economic injustice, corruption and hedonism and the Democrats wail and moan about this plight yet offer no backbone to enact legislation that would remedy this situation, we are stuck with old solutions for new problems.
The GOP thinks their mantra of "less government, less taxes" is still going to work. It might work in getting Republicans into office, but it certainly will not succeed in fixing what ails us. Their overriding concern is to keep the economically endowed with the opportunity for their continuing path to riches. This would be all well and good, except this course of action, this monopoly, also entails a chiseling away at the solutions to help those with no safety net, thus widening the gap between those that have and those that do not.
In the place of offering equal economic and social benefits, the GOP offers God. I have mentioned before that, when all viable options have been exhausted, when the powers-that-be decide not to spend the money to right things, i.e. New Orleans during and after Katrina, the famous tag line is "It is in God’s hands." And as long as the deity’s name is evoked, the people fall for that excuse every single time, as if they doth protest, the hand of their God would come down and wipe them off of the face of the earth.
But the GOP has done something even more evil. They have allowed their vision of God to encompass a restrictive nature, a bigoted and prejudicial side, as if to throw the masses a bone on which to take out their anger. The Republican God detests homosexuals, despite the fact that we are all human beings. The right-wingers imbue their God with a nasty aura so that their electorate can feel safe and redeemed by having a group lower than them on which to spout their venom. Hey, to kick around someone different from you certainly beats having the voters retaliate against the politicos. The Republicans will hoard all the bucks they can for themselves and the rest of the top 2% of wealthy Americans and as for the rest of us, we get a God who allows us to harm, maim and destroy our fellow human beings.
This is the polar opposite of what happened in Chile. Can we learn from the positive process that brought this successful outcome in South America? Don’t hold your breath. My mother used to recite this little poem to me when I was a young child:
Little fly upon the wall
Ain’t ya’ got no home at all?
Ain’t ya’ got no Mother?
Ain’t ya’ got no Father?
Squish fly, go to God.
We cannot succumb to this total defeatism. A caring, compassionate God can be a beneficial impetus to the future of humanity. A selective, antagonistic God will only add to our misery, especially when that principle is used as an excuse for us to not use our own willpower, talents and compassion for the greater good. To use the concept of God to limit our own potential is the ultimate surrender.
To be good is to DO GOOD. Aleluya, Carino!