In a nation that seems to value appearance over intellect, a nation where there are no ugly anchors on TV, we are so afraid of not looking at least as well as anyone else that we spend billions for makeup to cover blemishes; we go to spas, gyms, and plastic surgeons to "tone up our flab" so no one scorns us for being fat. Augmentations to fill out. Liposuctions to reduce. Preparation H to shrink our wrinkles.
We don't hire the handicapped, the short, the tall, the fat, the skinny because they're "different." We fear and condemn gays, lesbians, and same-sex marriage, trying to justify our contempt and our fear as a voice from God. Some among us are anti-Semitic and racist, irrationally justifying their own pathetic existence.
While proclaiming our
individuality, we try our best to look, act, and think like everyone else,
'lest someone label us "different" or, worse, "radical." We are so afraid of
not being "cool" that we allow advertising to dictate what we wear, what we eat
and drink, and even what we drive.
We go to college because we're afraid we won't get a good job, and then spend
40 years on that job afraid to do anything different or creative, afraid to
speak out for fear of displeasing someone who might discipline or fire us.
We are so afraid that someone else will get something more than we have, so
instead of fighting to get better wages and working conditions, we attack
unions and public school teachers.
We are afraid of the homeless because they look different, sometimes smell of booze, and sometimes even want to talk with us, to tell us about their lives and how they became homeless. We don't want to hear that chatter. We have so many more important things to do--like go to our jobs so we can afford that nice mortgaged house and leased car.
We condemn those who receive public assistance, whether disabled, elderly, or just a single unwed mother who made a mistake. We fear that every dollar they receive is one dollar less that we can spend on our own necessities and luxuries.
We are afraid of children who escape Honduras, cross into Mexico, and then into the U.S. to seek asylum. They might be terrorists. They might take our welfare. They might want our jobs. For some on the far-right lunatic fringe, the solution is to kill those who cross our borders illegally. Why not just nuke Honduras and solve the problem entirely?
We fear and condemn Arabs and Muslims, and plan to destroy their countries, because some of them are terrorists, not acknowledging that every ethnicity and religion has its own terrorists. For some, the solution is to launch pre-emptive strikes against--well, everything--just because something might happen.
That which we don't understand--or want to understand--we attack, leaving us condemned to an isolation of ignorance.
Those who believe they are Christians often ask, "What would Jesus do?"
Would Jesus want us to buy guns to kill people and animals? Would Jesus want us to ban books and ideas we don't agree with? Would Jesus want us to concentrate upon appearance? Would Jesus want us to believe the half-truths of politics and corporate advertising? Would Jesus condone racism, sexism, Anti-Semitism, ageism, and homophobia? Would Jesus want us to condemn immigrants, children who are seeking asylum, and those who are the weakest and poorest of our society. Would Jesus want us to condemn those who live on communes or join unions? Would Jesus deliberately kill a mother bear and her cubs who didn't threaten anyone? Would Jesus kill a baby raccoon who posed no threat? Would Jesus want us to live a life of fear?
The answer is obvious.
[Dr. Brasch's current book is Fracking Pennsylvania, an overall look at the effects of fracking upon health, agriculture, and the environment.]
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