A couple of days ago I had a chance to be an asshole, and instead did a good deed. While on a walk with a friend we happened on a wallet on the side of the road, instead of pillaging the wallet for any sort of money, blowing up their credit cards with any fraud, instead of doing the wrong thing, we chose to do what’s right.
Right now in the USA we are facing a nation without much empathy. The everyday people are more likely to use their cell phone to record a drowning than they are likely to rescue the person. This value system which says that it’s not my problem is a huge problem here in the USA. We have been taught that we are not supposed to help people who are struggling. We are taught that people should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. What we aren’t taught enough is that we really can make a choice based in kindness, and without any benefit to ourselves simply help someone.
It may be that in kindergarten you learned these sorts of lessons. It may be that your parents reinforced these messages for you, and that you are the sort of person who goes out of their way to check on their neighbors, to feed the hungry, to house the homeless and to uplift the downtrodden. Many of us like to think of ourselves as the people who choose kindness when given the choice. We like to think that we are the sort of person who helps a little old person cross the street.
The condition of the USA today is a perfect example of fascism unchecked. The people who were taught to help others are standing aside. The people who were taught to harm others are quickly moving our country towards the future George Orwell envisioned when he said “If you want a picture of the future imagine a boot stomping on a human face forever”.
The people who are actively controlling our nation’s foreign policy are the people who would take crumbs from the mouth of a hungry child to feed to their pet peacock. These are the people who continually call for cuts to the social safety net while simultaneously pumping funds into the military industrial complex. This sort of person will tell you that creating a wall to separate two pieces of land is needed, but that covering medicine for their own grandmother is not needed.
It’s difficult to imagine our empathy slipping this far. It’s difficult to accept that we are this sort of country now. A country which keeps children in concentration camps. But THAT IS the sort of country we are. We are a fascist country now. Nazis openly march in our streets with police protection funded by public monies. We are the sort of country which is more willing to explode people than care for them. We are a country which has enough wealth and resources to house, feed and medically care for every mother, every child, and every elder. We have the means, we just do not have the will.
It’s with all of this in mind that I give myself a slight pat on the back, a small thumbs up for myself. When my friend and I found that random wallet on the side of the road we did the right thing. We chose to be the heroes instead of the villains. Without even looking in the bill fold section of the wallet we used the ID card to search Facebook hoping to message the person, when that proved ineffective we placed the found wallet in an envelope and mailed it to the address on the ID card. We decided that we are the sort of people who look out for folks who have suffered a loss. We are the people who use our resources to help those who are suffering loss. It’s only a small thing, returning a wallet. But imagine what our world would look like if each person who was capable of making a choice to aid people who are suffering loss. Just imagine that world. The next time you face a choice to be a hero, do it. Be kind. Do nice things for weird people.
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