The, Until Recently, Hidden Cost

Jesus was a huge fan of the poor. In fact, so much so that he was a poor man himself when made human. In every version of the Bible, both ancient language and current conversions, the scene with the temple full of bankers and moneychangers is actually one of the only ones that has survived as an account unquestioned by contemporary scholars.

Most conservatives consider moral values a part of their dictum. And most of the time that's a dictum that includes religion as a kind of moral pH. Now, while this pH test may not be used for everyone, it is quite common.

I think what Jesus has to say about money is always, regardless of what passage you use, clear: money, while useful for survival, can't make a life. Only the joy of giving to others is what can make your soul something that will stand up to God's eternal example, Jesus Christ.

Just because you give money when there's a disaster doesn't make you a giving person. Money really only goes so far, and what ultimately needs to be given but usually isn't is compassion. I've seen very little compassion this year from conservatives in the government as well as in the general populace. Most of what I've seen in the forum as well as in the world at large is a kind of disdain for the poor unless they are directly in front of those same poor people. They blame them, saying that they are victims of their own misdeeds and bad decisions.

Often I'm called to think of Elijah Muhammad's analogy about water tainted by ink, and that when a man is thirsty he will drink that tainted water because his choice is thirst or no thirst. Now, given a clean glass with pure water and that dirty glass of inky bile, he will drink from the clean glass with pure water. But only if he is thirsty.

I think a lot of the people that I have met in my time in New Orleans, Biloxi, Corinth, Olive Branch, etc. have been folks that are just in need of some clean, clear water to drink, metaphorically speaking. I find that I'm lacking all the time in my efforts to help, and for the most part I try to shore up those obstacles by helping. But I do that NOT JUST WHEN THERE IS A DISASTER.

THAT, for ME, is the biggest indictment of the rich and powerful, especially those who are those things and "conservative." When the chips are down, it is truly nice to see people donating time and money. But what about the other times?

What about not fighting organizing efforts that are perfectly legal for those who make minimum wage, so that they can afford prescription medicine and doctor's visits instead of trying to self-medicate (which incidentally is also linked to occurances of mental illness)?

What about raising minimum wage so that those who work those jobs can live well enough to have good employment records, move when there is a disaster, and avoid getting sick from substandard food and dwellings?

What about fighting FOR funding for improving upon the way we educate children so that they can go beyond the economic stratum placed upon them at birth and ultimately make their own lives better?