Well, we’re most of us always upset at the Federal Government, but seldom to this degree. But I have thought about this at length, and there is something to be learned about ourselves, and about our fellow-citizens, and about people around the world.
Focusing on the US for the moment, think about the services that we depend on. Many, if not all of these, continue being provided unless something comes up to throw a wrench it in. Goodness knows that an amazing number of wrenches have been heaved onto the Washington bureaucracy by the GOP and the White House, many of which have been sidestepped, while half the country heaves a sigh of relief, and the other half curses. (It actually is about half and half, though we thought everyone wanted the country to run in a manner that those reading this blog approved of. Unfortunately no: about half, or at least a significant minority, appears to believe that everything is being done wrong, and has sent forward Mr. Trump to fix it. We can talk about that another time.)
As I have mentioned before, an enormous volume of money comes to localities from the Federal Government, and it is this money that keeps the wheels of towns, cities, counties and states turning, especially in little ways, such as keeping roads repaired, police patrolling the streets, keeping agro-businesses from selling questionable food items in supermarkets, etc. But lots of services of the government that do not have to do with daily life have definitely been impacted: National Parks, Wildlife Conservation, Ocean oil drilling, and so on. Gun laws have been relaxed, people have been shot, and the rhetoric coming out of the Capital is: Suck it in. (Thoughts and prayers, etc.)
Looking further afield, those who are listening hear a great sense of sorrow from foreign countries; even from reasonable citizens of such countries as Russia and the Ukraine.
It may appear that the World is afraid of a nuclear disaster. But I don’t think most people are fearful for themselves. They are sorry for what Americans are facing. Some are embarrassed for America, but others are simply sorrowful for the way the government has been surrendering the gains made in various areas: Health reform, Marriage equality, Bank procedures reform, Environmental initiatives, Energy sustainability, and numerous other regulations that have been viewed with dislike by people we have thought of as ignorant. They may be ignorant, but they know enough to vote, and enough to intimidate people at the polls, and sneaky enough to steal the Democrat trick of gerrymandering.
You and I care about what is going on, to some degree for our own sake, but arguably for the sake of the people at large. Australians are upset, people all over the world are upset, mostly for our sake. Why? Because over the years they have learned to care, and have thought of Americans as their friends. The US Government has not always been a friend, but the American People have convinced the people of the world that we have their backs. It is not a matter of simply sending in the Marines; it is a moral belief.
Undoubtedly, Trump views this from the Business point of view, and says: that’s too expensive; we can’t afford that. This is one principle on which he ran as a Presidential candidate: I can run the government better, because I’m a stinking businessman. I know all the tricks. (Sorry: I meant “businessman”.)
But leaving politics aside—and I really don’t want to focus on politics in this post—this matter of being concerned for reasons not having to do with self-interest is something we need to look at.
Religious folk, especially Christians, are taught that they have been put on the earth to do God’s work. (Sometimes the principle gets distorted, and they begin to believe instead that they have been put on the earth to keep religious ministers in comfort, and make Christians out of everyone. Obviously that’s a lot easier than doing “God’s work.”)
As an atheist, it gives me comfort to learn of this almost universal concern that is being expressed. I have read messages such as “We’re so sad to see you guys in the US frying with all this crap! The gun laws in the US are such a shame!”
Obviously, our gun laws do not affect their safety. So this outpouring is purely motivated by concern and empathy. At one time, we were the empathy champions of the world. But we have been left behind. Nevertheless, the fact that empathy exists, without necessarily a religious motivation, is a heartening thing. Of course I can’t prove that religion has nothing to do with it. I do believe that most of this empathy has nothing to do with religion, just on faith! Does that sound funny?
Unlike Christians, though, I don’t believe that matters will become better because God will jump in. Nothing is going to happen unless we do something. But it is a matter of Atheist Faith that we can do something.
Already in Pennsylvania, where the districts had been Gerrymandered so heavily that the GOP could win every election for the foreseeable future (except for elections for Governor), the State Supreme Court intervened, and rejected the most recent—ultra-Gerrymandered, evidently—redistricting that had been proposed by the heavily Republican House. They were given a brief time to bring in an acceptable redistricting map. That, too, failed. Then the Supreme Court created a redistricting considered fair by itself, which infuriated the House and Senate. Now there is an initiative to impeach all the judges of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, which will probably fail, but . . . it just goes to show that there is light at the end of the tunnel, or at least that the tunnel is being lit. Oh man, I do love this state, warts and all!
[Aside: My wife was just now deploring the fact that there is so much preaching on faceBook. Then we agreed that there would not be any preaching if people didn’t care. The liberals and the Democrats are like: OMG, what’s wrong with these people? Pass gun laws NOW! The GOP and the conservatives are like: Take away our guns? No freaking way! And the Cynics are like: Just be quiet. Don’t you realize that whenever there’s a threat to the NRA, people just go out and quickly buy more guns? It’s a marketing ploy! The NRA gets huge money from the gun manufacturers!
Be that as it may, there is caring. Of course I think the true caring is among the liberals, and the response of the conservatives is largely retaliatory. Still, the existence of concern is, to me and other atheists, a justification of our philosophical position. And faceBook seems to support this belief. So it’s doing something right.]
Arch‘’—“”
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