We all have different definitions about what it means to be kind. For some, it is being nice and polite. As a follower of Jesus, I know that He would not generally have fit this definition of kindness. He was often confrontational, snarky, and even downright rude. While I am sure He had His reasons, the story of His stories doesn’t show Him as always being nice. For others, kindness is caring for family and friends, which is, I think, part of the story. The larger culture isn’t always kind to us, so it is a great thing to know that someone has our back; that someone will always be in our corner. Even this, I think, is incomplete.
Today’s truth-telling is that I don’t think America has ever been a truly kind place. For all the claims of being a “christian” nation, or, at least, one based on God, what we really are is a capitalist republic that has turned religion into a commodity. We don’t treat the poor the way Jesus did; we separate them into “worthy” and “unworthy” categories. We don’t really care that much about our children; if we did, none of them would ever go hungry or have to live in poverty or miss out on basic healthcare. And we have never treated immigrants as anything more than a workforce to fill the bottom rung of our economy. The Biblical mandate to treat the illegal alien as part of our family has been mostly ignored by the larger culture. We have been anything but kind. In fact, we have been downright mean.
And our politicians? Too often, they have to reach for the lowest common denominator, using rhetoric that demeans and divides. Too often they have to legislate in ways that favor their wealthy constituents over the common good. Too many people who have gone into politics to serve have been forced to sell their souls to win, and the only people who gain from that are the meanest among us. And the richest. As Kurt Vonnegut wrote in Slaughterhouse- Five, “America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves.” In a recent study, America slid from 15th to 23rd on the happiness scale. The poor might be blessed, according to Jesus, but that doesn’t make them happy. The problem is that the rich aren’t all that happy either.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We could easily alleviate our poverty problem, but it would mean having a slightly smaller military budget. Instead of outspending the next 7 nations, we could only outspend 5 or 6, and the difference would be astounding. We could easily provide basic healthcare for everyone, like so many other nations do, but those who have see this as a luxury that the have nots don’t really deserve. We could make our schools better, but that would mean taxing the ultra-wealthy a little bit more and paying teachers better. We could do a lot of things – if we were kinder. But we aren’t. We could be, but we would have to want that. And we would have to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. Or, maybe, we would have to start loving ourselves. This may be where the problem lies.
Prayer – Holy God, teach us to be kinder to ourselves and each other. If we did, we could solve so many problems. Amen.
Today’s art is “Kindness” by Mousumi Khatua.