Many of the issues we are fighting over as Americans are confusing, but also serious and need our attention. The actions of ICE over the past 18 months are terrifying for all people of color and therefore, for all of us. The misuse of funds for vanity projects is reprehensible.
Every time I hear an explanation for diverting more funds from the National Parks, I am reminded of why my daddy’s very successful but short-lived bar and grill closed years ago. When he came home from “The War,” he and his brother opened an eatery in their hometown. By all accounts, it was the place where everyone hung out, older men and younger people alike.
So when I asked him why it only lasted for three years, he said, “Well, it was hard to stay in business when everything you brought in the front door was being carted out the back door and into one of my workers’ cars.” Since they were his neighbors, he couldn’t figure out how to stop them while still living in the same town, so they had to close it down.
All these inch-by-inch encroachments on the public trust likely won’t cause our collapse all at once. But the things being taken out the back door faster than they come in the front door make it hard for us to keep everyday life sustainable.
We are confronted with soul-crushing information every day; sometimes a kind word to the mom of three who is working two jobs just to cover the basics will give her the boost she needs to keep going. We can’t do it all, but for our own well-being, we will be better if we do something. Think small to start with and go from there.
As we discuss and lament the big issues, the impact on people everywhere is staggering. It amounts to a reversal of Reagan’s trickle-down economy. Wealth rarely trickles down, but poverty almost always does.
At least the robber barons of the nineteenth century assuaged their wealth by building things for a greater good. The robber barons of today are creating private utopias to distance themselves from potential darkness. They see the people who have created their wealth as commodities rather than people with whom they are in a social contract, which is likely why they are investing so much in artificial intelligence.
Rising Cost of Compassion
Our church is continuing a program we began last summer, when families in the North Carolina mountains were still recovering from Hurricane Helene. In July, we partnered with 10 other churches and through grants and donations, fed 100 families each week for the month.
It was an ambitious program designed to provide food to bridge the gap during the schools’ summer breaks. The overall program ran for just one summer, but our church still had some funds leftover, so we decided to offer it to our county through the elementary school social workers. But this year’s increases in gas and groceries almost derailed the process.
We asked our church members to bring a box of basic supplies to accompany the meals; one box per family. What cost $35 last summer cost $50 this year.
We used only canned meats with the meals last year because many of our people were still living in compromised situations. The can of beef we bought last year was $7.98; this year it is $13.98. We estimated that each meal last year would be $10; this year they are $15.
The added problem is that those who want to help are also paying those prices for their family’s needs and do not have extra money to buy for others. I am sure I am not telling you anything you do not already know and I do not have an all-encompassing answer.
All I know is that the people who see these issues and want to help are themselves affected in ways that make them hesitant to promise assistance. Their own lives feel precarious.
Rising Anxiety and the Power of Thinking Small
The level of anxiety in our world is catastrophic. It may be time for all of us to acknowledge that we are over our heads in something we can’t change. It may be time to say our name into the universe and pray the AA prayer for serenity: May we change the things we can, accept the things we can’t, and have the wisdom to know the difference.
Do what empowers you to help others. Write to your elected officials, march or protest.
Maybe, though, just simply check on your neighbors. See if they have enough to eat and if their children have lunch money and school supplies.
Teach someone who wants to learn how to change their oil. Offer to sit with someone’s loved one so they can have a break.
We are confronted with soul-crushing information every day; sometimes a kind word to the mom of three who is working two jobs just to cover the basics will give her the boost she needs to keep going. We can’t do it all, but for our own well-being, we will be better if we do something.
Start small and go from there.
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Retired campus minister, campus ministry coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, and Collegiate Specialist for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.