As a now “seasoned citizen,” I’m becoming more focused on the eternal and less on the temporal. Given the negative headlines each news cycle seems to bring, this may be a way of escape or be a natural part of the aging process. Either way, for those at our age or older, the regularity of death and illness around us are constant reminders of the fleeting existence we have here on earth. So please forgive my focus on death in the following events.
- The recent death of my best friend from high school was untimely for his family (when is it ever otherwise?) and, although his health had been going downhill for the last several years, it still came as a shock. And even though we lived a good distance apart, when we did connect, it seemed as if we never missed a beat. We shared many of the same conservative and traditional beliefs, and both of us served in the military. He had the now-too-rare quality of treating everyone he came across with dignity and respect, even during our teenage years, when most are trying to browbeat and cut down their competition.
- The horrific murders of Hollywood actor-director-producer Rob Reiner and his wife, allegedly at the hands of their mentally ill son. From what I’ve heard and seen, Rob was a decent man and obviously a creative genius, with numerous hit movies to his credit. Of course, many remember him for his prominent role in the then-controversial comedy series “All in the Family” as the liberal student activist Michael Stivic. The character was also known as “Meathead,” the not-so-affectionate nickname his father-in-law, Archie Bunker, bestowed on him. For those who criticized people who made snide remarks about Charlie Kirk’s death, rest assured that this terrible phenomenon cuts both ways. I like to think that I could count Rob Reiner as a friend if we had chanced to meet, since many of my friends over the years resided on the left side of the fence. We chose to either not discuss politics or to respectfully disagree when we did. However, Trump Derangement Syndrome has caused many on the left to figuratively go off the rails in their public statements, and Reiner was certainly no exception. In fact, some of the terrible things he said about Trump could make Stephen Colbert blush. But Trump’s response, although justifiable if it were just man-to-man, was hardly presidential. I guess that one possible rejoinder in “turning down the temperature” could be, “if you can say one nice thing about Trump, then I’ll say one nice thing about (fill in the blank with Biden, Obama, Harris, etc.).” As the old McCartney-Wonder song says, “there is good and bad in everyone.”
- The ongoing violence in this country and the world, as witnessed recently in the Brown University shootings, the ISIS-related attack in Syria that killed two U.S. troops, and the antisemitic shootings on Bondi Beach in Australia. It should be obvious by now (but it isn’t) that all the gun laws and restrictions in the world are not going to prevent such horrible acts. These acts manifest the hardening of the human heart due to an absence of the one true God in people's lives. As noted in Proverbs 4:14-17, “Do not set foot on the path of the wicked, or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it, turn from it and go on your way. For they cannot sleep till they do evil, they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.” These killers were deluded into believing that they had a just cause in performing the violent acts they did. Without God in their lives, their delusions fed their desire to perform their evil acts. Gun laws would not stop them; even if they could not obtain a gun, there are many other weapons at their disposal.
Beyond all this negative, there are more ways than ever for us to avoid the materialism of the season and participate in activities that promote the true meaning of Christmas. Many worthy charitable organizations are out there and desperately need our help – St. Jude Children's Hospital, Boys Town, and Tunnel to Towers, just to name a few. Blood banks are historically low, at least in my area of the country, so if you’re able to donate, it could mean a lot to someone who needs it.
A final piece of advice, let’s put the political stuff on hold for the next couple of weeks at least, so we can focus on the birth of the One who transcends all of our worldly concerns, the only One who can truly bring peace and good will to this world. Merry Christmas!
