Home at Last and Some Reflections

Our break is over. Although I did my best to keep up with the news, it was refreshing to simply look at the ocean, the rugged terrain of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, and the beauty of Hokkaido and Honshu in Japan. It was a powerful reminder that this fragile Earth, our island home, is a magnificent and sacred treasure. The Earth is strong and resilient, but it requires care, and it is clear that we have not done well as stewards of creation.

This trip, like last year’s visit to the Nordic lands and the islands of the North Atlantic, demonstrated how much of the rest of the world is working hard to make amends. How sad it is that the United States is doing just the opposite—at least for the next three years. It is shameful and, as an American traveling abroad, deeply embarrassing.

Equally embarrassing was becoming more aware of the disrepute in which our current administration is held by others around the world. Thankfully, that disapproval does not extend to Americans in general. The United States was once the epitome of Western civilization and the model others aspired to follow. That is no longer true. We may still have the world’s largest economy and the highest standard of living, at least by some measures, but it is equally clear that every other industrial nation is far ahead of us, each in its own way. We are struggling to keep our heads above water, sinking toward second-tier status. Many will refuse to see that reality, but it remains nonetheless. It will take decades to emerge from it—if we can at all—should the current administration establish a trend that cannot be reversed.

As we prepare to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary, we might remember that 250 years is only an eyeblink in history—a very short time for any civilized nation to have existed. We declared our independence on the grounds that a tyrannical government had deprived us of our rights as Englishmen, and so we were compelled to go our own way. The Constitution, as amended, has been the instrument by which we have declared our intent to be a nation in which individual rights, dependent on the greater good of the community, are guaranteed to every person regardless of their condition in life.

For 250 years we have been living into that promise—never fully achieving it, but always progressing toward it. The nation has endured many challenges, including a brutal civil war, but it has always survived and moved forward. There is no guarantee that the American dream will endure. Its survival depends entirely on the will of the people to recognize truth and reality in the face of intentional deceptions that promote a false narrative. These deceptions create an illusion of a past that never was, a present that does not exist, and a future that embraces everything antithetical to our Constitution, the American dream, and our hope for greater freedom for all.

We have created enemies where none exist. Citizen protests against injustice are called insurrections. Relatively peaceful cities are labeled war zones. It is frightening because it is truly dangerous. It demands our utmost courageous opposition—but even that is not enough.

We must be clear about addressing the practical issues of everyday life through the proclamation of workable solutions to basic needs: food security, affordable housing, clean energy, restoration of our infrastructure, and quality public education in every area of need—from kindergarten through trade schools, community colleges, and universities. These are the essentials, and they must be addressed first. Other important issues of social justice remain significant, but the essentials must come first. Only then will the majority of the public be willing to understand and support the need for greater social justice for those on the margins.

I have no idea how any of that will work out—or even if it can. What I do know is that each of us can act as if we care about our neighborhoods, our cities, and our nation. If we care, we will behave in ways that treat them with respect and contribute what we can to make them better.

This is especially true for those of us who call ourselves Christian. We are commanded by our Lord to do so. There is no excuse that relieves us of that duty. Every political and social ideology is subordinate to our Lord’s commandments: to act in love for others, to respect the dignity of every human being, and to work for the welfare of the places in which we live.