Happy Holidays

Once again, everyone is asking “What is this world coming to?” We are all victims of Newtown. We didn’t lose as much as those who lost their lives or the victims’ family and friends. Nor did we suffer the trauma of the survivors or their family, friends, and neighbors. But we all felt the pain, imagined the horror, and wondered “Is there no end?”

Terrible news abounds. Politics. Economics. Violence. War. And yet, these are the best of times.

Thank God we are horrified by the thought of someone killing children. A friend of mine, an Aberdeen resident until his recent passing, was a Holocaust survivor. He once saw a mother trying to stop her baby’s crying. A Nazi officer ripped the baby from the mother’s arms, grabbed him by the feet, and smashed his skull against a wall. Just like that. Didn’t think twice. At the same time, America blocked Jewish refugees from entering this country. Nobody cared.  Today, we’re concerned about medical treatment for terrorists and prisoners on death row.

The country’s racing towards bankruptcy. Why? Because we’re more generous than we can afford to be. Same story for Europe. At what time in the history of mankind have governments been on the verge of collapse for being too generous?

We worry about our children’s future. Will they be better off than us? Heck, yeah. From Roman civilization to the 18^th century, what were the greatest inventions? The printing press. That’s it. Today, even poor people have cell phones, televisions, air conditioning, etc. My son gets games on his iPod for a dollar. I worry he gets too much too easy.

As for Islamic terrorism, that’s not nearly as scary nuclear Armageddon with the Soviet Union. And look at the rise of democracy and human rights around the globe. This is a sharp departure from human history.

There’s a balance in the world. As the capacity for good grows, so does the capacity for evil. Yet, let’s not forget the riches we can bequeath to our children or the lessons learned.

Happy holidays and a blessed new year. 

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