Christians have entered the season of Advent, the time of year that prepares us for the coming of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. And we are desperately in need of peace, not only internationally, but here at home, where various factions are at war with one another politically, philosophically and in so many other ways.
So, we pray for peace. But what does that mean? Are we expecting God to wave a hand to calm the raging torrents of divisiveness, mistrust, factionalism, racism, xenophobia, greed and economic injustice? If we can pause for just a moment, I believe the vast majority of us will agree that while we can pray to God for strength and guidance, we are the ones who have to do the heavy lifting. Take, for example, a person fighting addiction who prays to God for help. While the person may find strength in faith, ultimately the person has to take the action necessary to end the addiction.
And so it is with our fractured nation. When we say “God bless America,” are we not, in fact, asking God for the strength and wisdom to heal our wounds and to bless us with the ability to love our neighbors as ourselves? Are we not seeking justice for all?
Sadly, it seems that too many elected officials give only lip service to a desire to heal wounds, as they are devoted to the greed of the marketplace — one in which ordinary people are kicked to the curb, in order that corporations can respond to the siren call of libertarian capitalism, or what is also called free market economics, which dictates that the mission of corporations is to maximize profits for stockholders by holding down wages and doing away with regulations that protect workers and consumers, or that seek to protect our environment.
So whether we are people of faith or not, I believe there is great urgency in recognizing that there are many elected officials in whom we cannot rely, not because they are inherently evil people, but because they embrace, and openly proclaim, a political/economic philosophy that seeks to end government regulation; shrink the size of government; privatize all possible sources of income such as schools, prisons, space exploration, the nation’s infrastructure, the post office, social security, health care and any other function of government that can be transformed into a profit-making entity. Rather than a fair form of capitalism and a democracy in which we have a voice, libertarian capitalism puts corporations in charge.
So what do we do? Well, I am not naive, but I believe that we are the ones who can perform miracles. Just as the addict derives strength from God, we are the ones who have to decide to change our ways, to take the necessary actions.
The most essential action, I believe, is for us to speak respectfully to one another, for if we do we will recognize that the outer-fringe fanatics are a small fraction of the overall population and that the vast majority of us actually share the same core values, although we may use different words. For example, do we want to “defund” the police, or do we want to provide “adequate funding” to enable the recruitment of highly qualified professionals, provide excellent training and equip them with the resources they need to perform their difficult jobs in a manner that respects the dignity of each person they encounter? Topics like this need to be discussed face to face, as when people actually came together through social interactions; a time when we enjoyed a much greater sense of community.
Next, we need to let elected officials know that the obscene amounts of money that finance elections and influence legislation and which are contributed by political action committees (PACs), lobbyists, trade associations, ultra-rich donors and other influence peddlers are not as powerful as the votes that ordinary people cast. We the people are the ones who are called upon “to form a more perfect union,” not big business.
It would be absurd to believe that we will all agree on every topic. But what is important is that we share the same objectives, including racial, ethnic and economic justice; a reasonable quality of life for everyone; the restoration of a sense of pride in our country; an embrace of an equitable form of capitalism and a love for democracy.
So, we have a choice. We can perpetuate the rancor, anger and divisiveness that is tearing our great nation apart, or we can seek to restore a productive process of governance in which the well-being of our nation and its people is more important than any political party.
Jim Palermo lives in Southampton.