Compassion

We will not be able to address any of the major issues facing us today if we do not learn to be more compassionate.  Period.  Take abortion.  Until we start thinking about the impact of what we propose on women and children (both before but especially after they leave the womb) we will never have dealt with the issue satisfactorily.  A compassionate person may well want to protect unborn fetuses, but they would surely aim for a solution goes beyond legal prohibitions and attends to what happens in the years and lifetimes after delivery.  A compassionate person, whether they support gay marriage or not, would have to give some thought to people of the same sex who want to be able to share their lives with each other.  A compassionate person would approach a whole host of issues differently, from what to do in Syria to how to address our crumbling infrastructure.  When folks decide to add compassion into their approach to politics and the major issues of the day, they may not change their ideas but they almost assuredly will change way they go about advocating and actualizing them.  Compassion is essential for us to stay true to the ideals upon which this country was founded.  Until we feel for others, we don't truly have an interest in protecting their rights and opportunities ... and ultimately we fail to look after our own best interests.  Compassion does not lead to the triumph of the 'liberal' agenda. Folks who think of themselves as conservative can be compassionate too ... for real.  The funny thing is that when folks are compassionate, they find it easier to find common ground and advance solutions that truly are in the interests of the majority.  When we do not think of others, a few of us will believe they have triumphed.  When we are compassionate, more of us enjoy real success.  We are not in this thing ... this grand experiment we have going over here ... on our own, and we need to stop acting like we are.  That change starts with a bigger show of compassion.  Exclamation point.

Bigger Questions

If
God says
To kill
Why
Do you listen