It’s not you, it’s me…

I am disgusted with the growth of government bureaucracies and the lackadaisical view of so many Americans toward helping our neighbors.  This isn’t a recent development, but has been a slow creep over many, many years. 

The government is not the only body that can help, nor are they particularly good at it.  When American’s put their time, talent, and treasure into a project we change the world.  We need to return to the things that made us the greatest country on earth: our heart, our compassion, our love.  We are shirking our duties as citizens of this great and free nation and need to be more active in showing love to those in need.  If we give a “hand-up” the government won’t need to give a “hand-out.”  I think it’s time we broke up with Uncle Sam, so I wrote him a “Dear John” letter…

Uncle Sam,

             It’s not you who should feed the hungry…it’s me.

       It’s not you who should comfort the widowed and orphaned…it’s me.

     It’s not you who should care for the sick…it’s me.

I have allowed you through the years to steal bits of my humanity and even more of the humanity of my brothers and sisters who needed me.  I let you convince me that I didn’t have the power to change things or help people and that the little mark I could make on the world would be insignificant and unnecessary.  This abusive relationship has gone on long enough and I think it’s time we break up. 

I WILL see the homeless man on the corner for what he is…a man; no longer will he be an insignificant being behind a sign asking for food. 

I WILL note the true self of the single mother at the grocery store; she is a woman who made the hard choice in a society of “quick fixes.”

No longer will I walk by, turning the broken, desperate, lonely, poor, hungry, or weary members of my community into numbers or dollar signs taken from my paycheck each week.  These are not your “problem”; they are human persons that I am to love, help, care for, and lift up.  I can and will…

•           Stock the shelves at the local food bank
•           Give diapers, bottles, clothes, food, etc. to single mothers struggling to find a way to keep and care for their child
•          Show love and compassion to the desperate and lonely, seeing their humanity and recognizing their worth as individuals
•           Seek out the unemployed and find uses for their unique talents and skills

You see Uncle Sam, I don’t need you…we don’t need you!  American’s are resilient, kind, generous, and compassionate, we can do all of these things and more, far, far better than you could ever hope to accomplish through your bureaucracy and red tape.  Love is verb and we will live with LOVE.

Live

Our

Values

Energetically