What do I need to face right now?

I was out early this morning watering my herbs, tomatoes and some young zinnia plants. I hope they will be blooming by July. The wind was ferocious, gusting at about 40 miles an hour. As the wind-driven water from my hose was spraying water on me as much as it was on my plants, I noticed how nature just goes with the flow. Tree limps whipped in the wind, my plants swayed rhythmically, birds still visited my bird feeder. They were all facing the wind but not fighting it.

Last Sunday was the Christian celebration of Pentecost and I was reminded of the scripture that compares the coming of the Spirit with a “sound like the blowing of a violent wind.” (Acts I) At this time, there appears to be a violent wind blowing throughout the whole world. It’s carrying both a physical and a cultural virus. Could we be experiencing a visit from the Spirit? Is this the only way S/He can get our attention?

I don’t know about you but in so many ways, I feel helpless. I don’t want to face this reality. I don’t want to take any responsibility for it. But I know in my heart that we all need to be willing to take a personal inventory.

For example, I know I should stop eating so much meat. Chickens never see daylight; their feet never touch the ground. Pigs are forced to reproduce at unrealistic rates and are raised in deplorable conditions. If you have ever driven by a cattle feeding lot, you know the stench that fills the air from the feces in the confining pens in which they are force fed. Not to mention the air pollution their flatulence causes or the inhumane way some are slaughtered.

Experts are telling us that if we do not change the way we treat our environment, we can expect more Pandemics. And it doesn’t take experts for us to know that we are failing to treat each other with respect and compassion. The protests generated in the last couple of weeks speak volumes.

I got the latest AARP Bulletin in the mail this week and a recent AARP survey of voters over 50 was featured. When asked what one thing matters most when voting for a candidate, these were the answers. The answers provided by older voters like me have given me much food for thought:

61% Their stance on the issues I care about?
10% Experience
10% Strong electability and capability of staging a winning campaign
9% Political party affiliation
9% Character or personality traits
(2020 Harris-AARP Survey of 3,500 over 50 registered voters)

I’m not sure we realize what we are facing internally in our own country and world-wide. Apparently a candidate with money for a winning campaign, a candidate who caters to our comfort zone is what matters. Experience and character are not important. (Sigh)

If there is one thing that my long life has taught me, it is that we escape nothing. The communion of saints is filled with sinners! We are all responsible for “what is.” And if I were to die tomorrow, what I do today could make a difference.