Romney said that the president bought young people by reduced student loan interest, paying off young women by giving them free birth control. Hispanics benefited by amnesty to the children of illegal “aliens.” Blacks were bought off by food stamps and extended unemployment compensation. Additionally, Hispanics also cashed in on Obamacare, with each Hispanic getting a $10,000 gift from Obamacare.
As Republicans bemoan their loss and try to find their compass, I can only affirm that while Republicans may never get my vote, they may actually be America’s soulmate.
As Dr. Wayne Dyer phrased it, “Your soulmate is the person you cannot stand.” He claimed, contrary to popular belief, nobody needs more of what they already are; that type of relationship IS short-lived. Dr. Dyer claims people who inflict the most challenges on us (i.e. personal lessons we must learn), the ones we cannot avoid but must learn, are our true soulmate.
So do I believe Republicans are Christians? My presumption is yes. Do I believe that all Christians are Christ-like? No!
But this leads me to a broader question: who in your life exhibits the most Christ-like qualities? Has it been someone who stayed with you? The stranger who helped you? Someone who took care of you when you’re sick? Full of compassion and generous with their own life? As Father Braun of Washington University CSC phrased it, “…the most Christ-like are those people who told you the truth so clearly you wanted to kill him/her for because of it. “
If there’s one thing my former true love Ms. K taught, it’s this: true compassion can only be seen from forgiveness. All the pain others cause is real, but if you take the time to get to know the person, see what they are about, you can see the pain in others, that there’s always another side.
When asked what he had observed as the greatest deficiency among American Christians, Helmut Thielicke replied, “ They have an inadequate view of suffering.” Seems hard to argue, as further recorded by Philip Yancey, “One-third of the world went hungry last night.” Additionally, the ranks of America’s poor edged up last year to a high of 49.7 million.
Thus, in light of all I have written, I simply tell both Republicans and Democrats that if you want to reach inside the soul of America and ‘connect,’ you must be willing to see their pain.
Take Alabama. The 2007 census indicated Alabama had the 10th highest poverty rate, putting it ahead of Mississippi and included the District of Columbia, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas.
- In 2010, 9,586 children were victims of abuse or neglect in Alabama, a rate of 8.5 per 1,000 children, representing a 15.6% increase from 2009. Of these children, 37.6% were neglected, 50.0% were physically abused, and 22.5% were sexually abused.
- In 2010, 13 children in Alabama died as a result of abuse or neglect.
- In 2010, 5,350 children in Alabama lived apart from their families in out-of-home care, compared with 6,894 children in 2009.
- In 2010, 1,892 of the children living apart from their families were age 5 or younger, and 951 were 16 or older.
- The total number of individuals receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in Alabama increased from 43,326 in 2009 to 51,205 in 2010, an increase of 18.2%.
For all those politicians searching for answers, there’s no buying the poor. There’s not enough ‘food stamps,’ condoms, healthcare, reduced student loans that compensate for abuse or poverty. People do not want to live in poverty. To think such is plain ignorant.
Rather, I simply challenge Republican and Democrat alike to tell me how your policies will positively impact the average everyday worker. How will your policies positively impact the poor and make all American’s life better? If you do that, you will truly be the soulmate never seen in our lifetime.