All summer long and well into the early fall days we have seen the images of refugees from warring and authoritarian nations pouring into Europe. Countries there have been overwhelmed by the level of human misery and sadly these poor souls represent only the tip of the iceberg of suffering. While governments grapple with difficult considerations, all I see are desperate people who have grown weary of despots, war, and privation. Mostly I notice that so many of them are fairly young men who appear not to have families with them.
Closer inspection reveals a trend that is far from new. It seems that many of the immigrants searching for respite in foreign lands are heads of households. Their almost universal goal is to find a secure place to live so that they might one day send for wives and children who remain in harm’s way. They have made the difficult and unsafe journey alone because to bring women and small children would have been far too dangerous. They travel best if they only have to care for themselves. They have become familiar with the laws of the lands where they hope to live. They understand that once a country accepts them and they establish a foothold they will have the right to send for their loved ones. This is the plan. Their hopes and dreams depend on making this a reality. Continue reading “The Humanity”
Long ago when I was still a student at Mt. Carmel High School a priest took a group of us outside on a pleasant spring day. As we sat on a set of bleachers he spoke of a native American idiom, “Walk a mile in my shoes.” He wanted us to consider the other person’s point of view before drawing conclusions and judging. He hoped to develop a sense of empathy in us by setting forth various scenarios and asking us how we thought we would react if confronted with similar situations. What we learned on that day is that we each view life just a bit differently depending on our backgrounds and personalities. Still we share certain commonalities as humans regardless of where we may live. Every human being seeks love, understanding, security, and comfort. We may not have much in common with people from other cultures but when stripped of our economic and superficial differences we all experience hunger, pain, and fear. 
All It Takes Is A Little Love 