The Folgers Coffee is hot and strong, just the way I like it. My little dog Nemo dozes on the floor beside me. The noise of the interstate is a far-off hum. The train rumbles to a stop downtown but it is a distant, comforting noise. Familiar sounds and rituals punctuate the morning but beneath it all, in the heart of our Nation, a strange and alien wind is sweeping through, toppling old landmarks and obliterating cherished ideals.
I’m not quite sure how it happened; maybe it started with the way we talk and what is now acceptable. Once, only a few years ago, language was not laced with coarse vulgarities. Words referring to body parts or functions were not a part of everyday speech. Now, the shock value has worn off and with the acceptance of crude speech, nobody notices that something of value has been lost.
Actions follow speech. Today, it is an insult to call someone a “lady” or to expect a man to act like a “gentleman”. Personally, I like for a man to hold open a car door and follow, not precede me when we are walking. When a man removes his cap or hat inside a building, my opinion of him goes up. Just small things, courtesies that maybe don’t matter or maybe they matter a lot.
I remember a Scripture, “Out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). When listening to someone talk, it doesn’t take long to know what is in his heart.
Listen to the six people who are running for the coveted job of President of the United States. Think about what they are saying! Do you hear them? Do their words match their actions? Do you know what they are really like, under the rhetoric? It is hard to believe there is a Socialist among them. Have you checked out how Socialism has worked in other countries? Is that the way you want to live?
Which brings up another point about speech: it can be used to dissemble, to cover up. Smooth words can mask the truth. Sometimes rhetoric sounds good, pious even. But what is under those lofty-sounding phrases? In breaking down barriers in speech and actions, the playing field is certainly leveling and it is made out of dirt.
Definitely, the winds of change are sweeping through. Let’s hold onto things of value. Cherish those small things that represent larger ideas and ideals. We may not be able to stop storms from coming but we can, at least, be aware and prepared. We can stand firmly rooted and grounded in truth; we can refuse to be swept away from our moorings by a strange and unfamiliar wind.
It’s important to understand that there are 3 versions of “socialism”. The “socialism” represented by Bernie Sanders is “social democracy” found in highly successful Scandanavian countries that are politically democratic but also have social safety nets in place so there is virtually no poverty, poor housing and higher education is equally available to all. Social Democracy is night and day from the Marxist-Lenist socialism that we grew up fearing in the Cold War. If people really understood this distinction, they would know that Bernie’s version is capitalism, only with more heart toward its people. Christianity should have no problem with that!
Amen, my dear aunt! I agree with you!
Thanks for writing,Teresa.
It’s nice to say something kind to your auntie, but auntie is just plain wrong on this point. Midwesterners should visit Norway to see what a Social democracy actually is. It’s not the revolutionary idea you seem to think it is. It’s a kinder version of capitalism, not communism. Your ideas and understanding on this point is stuck in the past.