Who really cares?

This is another post that was drafted back in 2012 and never got posted. The concluding statement is still one that really resonates with me, so I thought it would be worth sharing, even two years late.

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Everyone finally has the answer they have been waiting for a long time; whether you got the answer you wanted or not is another matter. Our next President has been chosen (though it is still not official for a few more weeks according to the process of the electoral college).

Over the past hours since the polls closed and the final popular vote was reported I have continued to observe dissension among candidate supporters. There is a lot of slander flying around, and it gives me even greater appreciation for the polite dialogue I find. Disagreement is healthy and appropriate, slander is damaging and unproductive. It leads me to the question, "Who really cares?" Do you?

The battle seems to be very narrow in scope (though one would think that there would be more than one issue at stake with an election). There are two primary positions in this battle: 1) those who believe people are entitled to a minimum lifestyle, despite individual circumstances, and see it as the role of government to secure that minimum lifestyle; 2) those who believe that people should receive only what they have personally attained, despite individual circumstances, and do not see it as the role of government to secure a minimum lifestyle. My perspective is that there is a grand flaw in both of these arguments.

You have been in need of something at one time or another, whether past or present. Who really cared? Who cared for you? Shame on us if we pass along the individual opportunity of caring for our neighbor to an agency or institution. Shame on us if we forget how graciously we have been treated and deny grace to others.