Happy Monday! Hope your weekend topped off your tanks as you fly into a new week. For us in the northern hemisphere, we should see the leaves start to change colors this month.
I won’t say much about President Trump getting the WuFlu other than to say that a culture of civility no longer exists as a corporate characteristic of our society. It may be true that people have always thought horrible things about others—”I wish that guy would just die”—but they at least knew to keep from saying so out loud. At best such sentiment would be considered impolite; at worst, the person holding it would be thought an ill-tempered, uncouth barbarian.
Generally speaking, those who were part of “polite society” filtered what they allowed themselves to say, using as their guide biblical proverbs like “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Mt. 7:12) or American proverbs like, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything” and “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
Some, like noted anti-Trumpers Rachel Maddow and Alyssa Milano, chose to stay classy.
Then there’s Zara Rahim—whose last name means, ironically, “Merciful”—who took her account private after tweeting this:
And those like Michael Moore rooting for Covid-19:
Small sample, that. If you want to see lots more, go to Zwetchkenstiel, who has catalogued a rogue’s gallery of hate.
There have always been those in positions of power that I wished were no longer part of the mix—Ted Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Harry Reid come to mind—but I never wished them dead. That comes only in God’s timing. Until then, my duty is to put my faith in God’s sovereignty.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
— Matthew 5:43-45
[Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash]
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A Personal Note
I write five days a week on personal time because it’s one way I can contribute to strengthening the resolve of Christians, conservatives and other like-minded compatriots in the face of unprecedented division in our country. I would like to eventually do more. If you like what you’re reading and think others would benefit from it, please consider regularly sharing and commenting on my posts. Also invite your friends to subscribe. They can do that right on the home page. Thanks for reading! — Dave