The human race on Earth is the only race there is on Earth
COVID-19 knows no bounds when it comes to differences in race, color, ethnicity, creed, financial status or gender. We must realize that on this planet, regardless of where you come from, on Earth, there is only one race, the human race.
Sometimes we try to hide our prejudices behind other reasons, to justify the positions we take politically, socially, financially, environmentally, religiously, or any other way we human beings use to suppress the voice of others. We are more alike than any difference we profess.
The root cause of prejudice is fear, not hatred. While certain groups may be extremely angry about an issue, the underlying cause of anger is fear. Why are we so afraid of other people, their belief system, their culture, their gender? We can promote what we what we believe, if we choose to do that with our free will, without tearing each other down. Think of how we respond to someone expressing a different viewpoint, or addressing uncomfortable issues such as COVID-19, immigration, homelessness and hungry children in our country and the world.
Fear knows no borders. When it comes to financial fears, for example, many fear that by sending the 20,000 ventilators currently in government storage to the 20,000 most sick from the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, there won’t be enough left for themselves. It is a money problem to some minds. This is a two-fold problem.
First, when we divide states and countries in the world into “us” and “them” categories; the rich and the poor; our side and their side, we have already lost the battle, not only with slowing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in our own back yard, but also with the loss of our humanity in society.
This is the second problem, when fear descends upon the minds of our rulers. Bidding wars between states and the government for sending life-saving medical equipment, demonstrates perfectly how we can begin to lose our sense of our humanity. Once we make money, finances and the economy the bottom line, which it is not, we lose our humanity in the decision making process. Yes, money, finances and the economy are important, but it is not as important as the people. At the end of all of our lives, no matter which continent you live on, you will not be able to take your money with you.
Fear promotes radical groups in any of the human categories mentioned. If we are truly serious about fixing our world, before we can build any bridges to repair the damage we have caused, and tear down the cages and the walls which we built due to fear of other human beings, we need to take immediate measures to join together, not tear apart, and eradicate the root cause of fear. It is not just fear of other human beings that is the current social problem; it is the fear that they will take all our money, our reservoirs of wealth, our political power, our land, our titles, etc.
The Theological Virtues of faith, hope and love are the remedy for those of us experiencing fear. The Cardinal Virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance are the solution to fear by politicians, those in finance, and by everyone else globally. The virtue of generosity is the solution for those blinded by greed. Practice the Golden Rule that Jesus taught, “Do unto others as you would like them to do unto you.”
Greed has become the new addiction in society all over the world. In the ordinary effort to get ahead in this life, to make sure there is enough food for our families, and places to rest our weary heads at the end of the day, and household products to get us through the days and weeks of social distancing, some of us are making the quick slide into greed, fueled by fear. It can happen so quickly that we do not even realize it has happened. In those moments we have lost sight of our humanity.
We have made great progress in this country and in the world. We should celebrate the strides we have made. But there is more to do with integrity, more to pray for, more to resolve, more to share, more to learn, more to understand, more to forgive, more to let go. It is not about being right, or wrong, or making others right or wrong. There is no way to make up for the loss of life through war, violence, bloodshed, or retaliation. Two wrongs do not make a right. We need to build bridges and tear down walls and cages for all people everywhere.
Despite all our unique differences, we all share this one beautiful planet. We are all born in the same way, we all breathe air while we are here, and we all die. We are all having a shared human experience. Our life is in our blood, without which we would cease to be. No one soul is better than any other soul on this planet, no matter what our pride (insane ego) might be telling us.
Let us recognize this place and time that we are all in. We can repair all of this, unless we have totally lost our humanity. Some of us are over the edge and need our assistance to get back to the real time work of caring for and protecting the most vulnerable among us. They need our prayers. Prayer is an extremely powerful tool at our disposal.
There is only one race on this planet.
It’s the human race.
We need to work together, across the globe, to do what is best for the everyone in every country. This effort begins with you and me, in our homes, families, neighborhoods, states, countries on this one planet that we call home. We need to be better people. It is contagious. It matters.
How balanced is your life? Are you balanced between home, work, school, relationships and everything else? What are the signs to watch out for that you are out of balance? How do we get back into balance in our minds, bodies and spirits?
Picture a seesaw with one side up, the other side down and the fulcrum, that balance point between the two in the
Lever with globe of Earth and small ball. simple machines by Archimedes. lever is a machine consisting of a beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge or fulcrum.
middle. Jesus Christ is the fulcrum of all of our lives. We choose whether to live with Him in our lives, or without Him; or with or without God His Father in our lives. The same goes for the Holy Spirit, the love of the Father and Son. We choose each day whether or not to include this Love on our lives. Without God in our lives, we are out of balance. We can remedy this situation.
We go out of balance each and every time God the Father, Jesus His Son, and Love of the Holy Spirit is not at the center of our lives. If we say we do not believe in God, or think there is no God, or God did not send Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, or think of Jesus as just another ascended master, we are ignorant of the reality that God in fact did just that.
Jesus Christ, Son of God Almighty, is the balance point in all of our lives, our true fulcrum. Each of us decides when enough is enough in our day-to-day living by the use of our God-given free will. The determining factor of who we are, what we believe, and what we will allow into our lives is all up to us in this life. But there is an unnecessary problem we create for ourselves when we exclude Jesus Christ, who came to earth to show us how to live in this world, presently ruined and ruled by Satan.
Think of this for a moment. After His baptism, Jesus was led out into the desert wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by Satan. For forty days and nights Jesus fasted. Then Satan tempted Him to get food by changing stones into loaves of bread.
Jesus answers, “No! For the Scriptures tell us that bread won’t feed men’s souls; obedience to the word of God is what we need.”
Then Satan took Jesus to Jerusalem to the roof of the Temple, and said, “Jump off and prove you are the Son of God …”
Jesus responds, “It also says not to put God to a foolish test.”
Lastly, Satan took Jesus to the peak of a very high mountain, and showed Him all the nations of the world and all their glory, and said to Him, “I’ll give it all to you, if you will only kneel and worship me.”
How could this last test of Jesus been a real temptation if Satan were not the real ruler of this world?
Would the temptation of Jesus in the desert after His baptism really have been a temptation if Satan were not the present ruler of this world? (Remember Satan and one-third of the angels in heaven were cast out of heaven and sent to earth. These are the fallen angels of old still with us today.) Jesus goes into the desert where Satan tempts Him that if Jesus would bow down before him, Satan would give him all the kingdoms of the earth.
Ironically, God the Father gifted Jesus His Son , to be king of the kingdom to come, after the demise and judgment of this world. The Father promises us a new heaven and a new earth in the Book of Revelation, with Jesus Christ as judge and king. Jesus is already sitting at the right hand of God. Every day we can choose to be included in this new kingdom to come by how we live each day of our lives right now. Presently we still have time to use our God-given free will to choose virtue over sin, or good over bad.
Jesus Christ, Son of God, remained faithful amid great temptations. How hungry are you and I after only missing a meal or a day or two of no food? Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights. He was most certainly at the point of starving, and still chose to do God’s will, not his own.
We get that same choice to make each and every day. Who’s will do we follow?
Sometimes we act as though we are not in charge of ourselves, or our government or situations like global warming or world peace. But everything we think, do and say show us if we are in, or out of balance, and what principles are important to us.
All of us in every country in the world, are at a tipping point of more people choosing bad over good, evil over good, or sin over virtue, not only in our own lives, but in the world at large. We can change this if we want to, but nothing will change unless we consciously decide to choose more good over bad, good over evil, or virtue over sin.
If money is the bottom line, as most people say these days as to what they determine to be the most important reason for decisions made, then humanity is doomed to fail, cities and states are doomed to fail, and the ecological health of the world will fail. In all cases, we can have all the money in the world and die of a disease; Flint, Michigan can have the biggest bank account to save money but unless money is spent to fix drinkable water there, the drinking water will remain toxic; and the world’s economy matters little when global warming is completed and the earth is no more.
There are many factors that affect our decisions, like greed, envy, sloth (laziness), lust, wrath (anger), gluttony and pride. We know these seven pitfalls as the seven deadly sins because they hurt us individually as well as collectively. Each of these negative, bad traits, which are sin, has a positive or good remedy, which is virtue.
Rather than be motivated by greed, we can think, speak and act generously. Perhaps money is not the bottom line after all.
Instead of envy we can practice genuine love.
To improve on sloth (laziness) we can take vitamins and invigorate our dreams, renew our goals, and begin yet again.
To combat the addiction to lust we can welcome purity and modesty in our thoughts, words and actions.
Addressing wrath and uncontrolled anger, a bad habit and often an addiction, requires taking a few deep breaths and allowing understanding, listening to others, improving communication and peaceful solutions to be possible. We may feel justified in our wrathful, renegade emotions, but unless we deal with them with integrity we may have regrets as time goes by.
The solution to gluttony is moderation in food and drink, or any other addiction we are over-indulging in.
Finally, the answer for pride is humility. Being proud of our accomplishments at a job well done is not a bad thing. The problem with pride arises when we go overboard, becoming vain, arrogant and haughty. We do not even like ourselves when we don this puffed up attitude, if we are being perfectly honest.
As strong as the negative traits, more accurately known as sins are, the positive virtues can become just as strong or stronger. It is simply a matter of focusing on good over bad, choosing good over evil, which means choosing virtue over sin. Practicing these seven virtues is one way we can make good shine in our lives.
Modern day thinkers would like us all to believe that there is no sin any more, that negative traits are merely mental, emotional and/or psychological shortcomings when in fact they are sins; calling sins “negative traits’ keeps us from addressing sins head on, complete with admission of fault, followed by forgiveness and mental, emotional and psychological relief.
What is wrong with the world starts with you and me, and the priorities we live by. You and I are each responsible for the conditions in our lives, our neighborhoods, cities and states, and in all countries in the world. Each day you and I get to decide for good, or for bad; for virtue or for sin. We each decide on this very day whether we will choose good over evil, evil over good or virtue over sin, or sin over virtue. We can build ourselves up or we can tear ourselves down. Likewise, we can tear our neighbors down or build them up; like tearing down or building up policies and actions that benefit the entire world.
Why does this matter?
It matters to you as an individual person to mature in integrity and honesty. It matters in order to create the neighborhoods we want to live in. It matters to stand up for the scientific facts that tell of how to fix broken systems in the world. Integrity and truth matter. It is not necessary to kill each other to make this happen. God the Father is Creator of it all.
Thinking of our failings only as bad habits or negative traits keeps us is a downward cycle of “that is just how I am.” But acknowledging our failures as sins, something we can repent and be forgiven for, gives us hope. We can make amends and repair the broken bridges we have broken in our relationships. Try as we might, we will sin before the night is through in our thoughts, words and actions today. We are not perfect. But we keep trying. God the Father will always forgive us, through the Love of Jesus our Savior, and the Love of the Holy Spirit. These are the gifts promised to us by Jesus. Each day we have this hope. There is always hope.
Isn’t it our own business how we live our lives?
Yes, it matters. Yes, it is our own business. The point is that we look at the world, then point fingers at what is wrong with it, when you and I are the snowball that started it all. There are things we can do to fix the problems of personal and global greed, envy, sloth (laziness), lust, wrath (anger), gluttony and pride, as mentioned above. We must start with ourselves if we want our countries to be better, for the sake of the world.
We have to start with the beginning of the problem, not just the middle or end of the problem.
Things never stay the same. Change is the only constant in life. Choosing good over bad, good over evil, or virtue over sin, however you look at it, will create a healthier, kinder, more humane world in which we all can live and thrive. This also creates a new beginning in our relationship with God, which might need our attention at this very moment.
Start right where you are.
Are you in government? Then make the most honest, best decisions you can for the life of all the people under your jurisdiction, and for the life of the planet, not just self interest. Otherwise, you can be the fulcrum that tips towards destruction not only of you personally, but the entire earth. We are very near tipping towards the point of no return. Presently this is possible to fix. Try to be part of the solution, not exacerbating the problem. Things never stay the same. You can be the instrument to save the world as opposed to demolishing it. Ask for God’s help, through the intercession of Jesus Christ, with all the Love the Holy Spirit has to give.
The same goes for the financial crisis erupting in all countries across the globe, and all other matters of importance. Remember this when things get so complicated we cannot see the forest for the trees, think PEOPLE BEFORE THINGS. To have balance, prioritize people by helping where and when you can over taking care of things. Financial matters are things. Things matter, but people matter more. Money is not always the answer for problems people have. Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.
Yes, it all matters. You matter.
Do not forget to include God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son and the Love of the Holy Spirit in all your decisions for the best results possible.
All people matter, not only the rich, the top one percent of the wealthiest among us; not only the milky white people, but all people represented by the 203 countries including territories and protectorates of the United States of America, most of which are not milky white. God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, created Jesus His Son as His first Creation before any and everything else, in which Jesus helped to Create every other Creation known to us. We were all Created in Love, and with free will.
We live in a global society. Our friends and families live all over the world. The planes we fly land in most all countries in this one world we share.
We are one race, the human race, here on this planet.
Education matters. Are you in education? Encourage your students/children with critical thinking skills in order that they include compassion and common sense as a problem solving process they can work with, including not mindlessly following the mistakes of some of the prejudiced generations before them. Show them by example how we all can be better people. Pray again. Pray through Jesus Christ, in the Love of the Holy Spirit, to the Father of All Creation, for the minds of all of humanity to continue to grow and learn as we were intended to grow and learn.
Educators, how do you handle bullying, hungry students, students at risk, students compromised in a wide variety of situations, and students standing up for themselves? Education is a priority in every person, family, neighborhood, state and country for the success of the world. Teachers are the shining light, the good that can help so many students in need of empathy, compassion, and understanding to be better citizens of the world. Never stop praying, through the intercession of Jesus Christ, who Himself endured numerous injustices and bullying in this world.
However we think of it, and whatever we think about, we bring about. Let’s make the world a beautiful place to live, within ourselves, with our families and friends, neighborhoods, states, countries and the entire world. Let us include God our heavenly Father, Jesus Christ His Son and our brother, and the Love of the Holy Spirit in our greater families since that is truly what we are, one global family.
The root cause of prejudice is fear, not hatred. While certain groups may be extremely angry about an issue, the underlying cause of anger is fear. Why are we so afraid of other people, their belief system, their culture, their gender? We can promote what we what we believe, if we choose to do that with our free will, without tearing each other down. Think of how we respond to someone expressing a different viewpoint, or addressing uncomfortable issues such as COVID-19, immigration, homelessness and hungry children in our country and the world.
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