Our youth get it

I encountered something Sunday that has eluted my personal experience for so long that I had forgotten what it was like.  That day I learned that the youth of our local churches participated in an event known as The Weekend of the Cross.  Junior and senior high school youth traveled to Amite, Louisiana,  divided into small work groups, and helped those in need by painting houses and building wheel chair ramps in addition to other projects.

There was no name calling if someone wasn’t skillful in carpentry or nail driving.  No one cared about their sexual orientation.  No one assumed the female group members were somehow not as capable as the males in lifting the heavy boards or as skillful in using power tools.  There was no one person who tried to show his/her superiority by declaring  he/she was the only one capable of doing the job correctly.

They simply, as a group, took charge of a dire situation and worked together to make it better.

I’m sure these kids came from families of all political persuasions; tea partiers, conservatives, liberals, socialists and diverse political parties; Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians.

But none of that diversity was ever evident or got in the way of group solidarity.  These kids and their adult helpers were there in 95 degree heat to solve peoples’ problems and make a difference.

And they didn’t consider their work to be some kind of free handout.

 

Sadly, my joy of hearing about  this event evaporated rapidly when I recalled the recent events which took place at the RNC and DNC, and the cyber-bullying and mudsling which have already begun and will continue until election day.  Regrettably, I also recalled all the categorizations and name calling that occurred when I attempted to have any type of meaningful discussion with others about the real issues that should be the focal points of the present presidential candidates.  Some attempted discussions by others have even lead to physical altercations.  Apparently opinions have evolved into unilateral mandates for governing.  There is no acceptance or room for compromise, for it’s now considered a sign of weakness. 

We presently are faced with two questionable choices for the highest office in this nation.  One candidate has been portrayed as a narcissistic fear-monger, god-figure, who can’t intelligently debate anyone who disagrees with his political stance without resorting to schoolyard name calling or inference that the criticizing individual is some type of inferior human being.  The other is characterized as someone who lies, can’t be trusted, and operates above the law.  And the level of extreme divisiveness which exists in this country over these two individuals, who are both a disgrace to serve as President, is mind boggling.  Objectively neither is worthy of such emotional energy or discord.

Surprisingly, despite what each candidate’s followers adamantly professes, it seems the kids representing my church have a  better understand of what it takes to turn things around; a genuine coming together.  But sadly the adults are in control and presently thrive on discord and divisiveness; both of which are tearing this country apart. 

One has to wonder, if we as a nation have taken this mean-spiritedness to such an extreme level that even after the election is over our nation will forever be damaged goods.

Maybe our kids’ philosophy could prevent that!