America on the Brink

actually needed, leaving others to fend for themselves. Many people live paycheck to paycheck. They have to wait for payday to go shopping. Motivated by fear and self-protection, some families quickly emptied the store shelves and had enough toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies to last a decade leaving other families to find empty shelves when payday arrived. How many of us paused before raiding those shelves? How many of us thought outside of ourselves and our fear? Did we even consider our neighbors who might need some of these supplies? Or were we consumed only by our own needs? Did we buy any essential supplies for others? Did we send a donation to the Salvation Army or organizations working directly with disenfranchised populations? Some of us did. Many of us did not. This is just one example. There are so many more. From unnecessary stock piling to masking and quarantining, we need to take time to reflect on whether we lived out Jesus’s example of loving others during this challenging season. When Jesus taught on loving our neighbors, he held up the example of the Samaritan who had compassion for someone in need and went out of his way to help him. The Samaritan was not commended for doing what was best for himself but for a complete stranger. Wearing a mask is a way we can show our love and care for others. This simple, easy act can help protect our neighbors from a virus that could cause illness or even death. Yet, so many Americans, including many claiming to be Christian, refuse. Why? Is our personal comfort or preference so much more important than following the example of Christ? Let us reflect and correct. When the next crisis comes, let’s do better. Let’s be like Jesus to our neighbors. 2. Don’t know everything? That is ok! What is not ok is thinking you do know everything. Intelligence should always inspire humility, not arrogance. Why do I say this? Because the more you know, the more you should realize all you do not know. A truly educated person should be acutely aware of the limits of their knowledge. Our public schools, colleges, and universities have failed to produce a citizenry that knows and respects the boundaries of knowledge. We are decades into the information and technology age, yet our educational models and philosophies have not kept pace. We have produced citizens intelligent enough to engage ideas and issues but not always with the discernment needed to process sources and find facts. Many folks are ready to tout the latest “information” they read on Facebook but lack the wisdom to see the reality of their own echo chamber. The ability to wrestle with ideas and expand our minds requires curiosity and openness. But too many people are unwilling to admit they have anything to learn. They lack the humility needed to recognize when they’ve reached the limit of their own knowledge. Their hubris doesn’t allow them to acknowledge or respect others whose education, experience, and expertise extends beyond their own. People who barely made it through high school science class believe they have the knowledge to question and argue about viruses and vaccines with scientific experts who have doctorates and years of careful and rigorous research under their belts.

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