Our current bankruptcy
by Elouise
When all is not said or done
for want of Wisdom,
What more is there
to do but close my eyes
and sleep the sleep
of wearied souls
I used to think old age
would bring increased
Wisdom if not Wealth
And yet I observe how
much more rewarding
it is to stockpile Wealth
and send Wisdom packing
to the dogs as they say
when dismissing what
seems not worth saving
much less passing along
to the next generation
Then again we never were
a nation of invaders
schooled in the art of
Wisdom as Wealth
How else to explain our
Growing bankruptcy?
Watching news outlets is sometimes like playing Which side are you on? Or Gasp-Worthy News. Or now we’ll interview past holders of political office to see what they think about today’s gasp-worthy news though sadly, they no longer have power to change our growing polarizations.
Is this what we want to leave to our children and their children? Of course not. And yet…..
What’s a citizen to do? The most difficult challenge I face daily isn’t the news, but how I interact with friends and strangers. What would it be like to suspend all news, and actually get to know more neighbors and neighborly strangers?
Time? Yes. Also effort, patience and persistence. And, above all, an open heart ready for Wisdom to grow a tiny bit stronger than it was yesterday.
Elouiseโฅ
ยฉ Elouise Renich Fraser, 19 July 2021
Image found at snopes.com
Hearing you! Letโs do our part to interact properly!
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Yes! For me, it’s much easier to interact with friends I’ve known for years and find compatible. Nonetheless, I believe they have wisdom to offer me that I can’t get from others. And…it won’t happen if I don’t take some initiative. Not my strong gift, I’m sad to say. ๐
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A man I truly admired and respected recently died, well into his 90’s. He was a giant in the community; the CEO of a corporation that was one of the biggest employers in town. He was also a key leader in the church I pastored and a person of substantial financial means. But his largest impact was made in his personal interactions with those around him. He had a gentle spirit, was a great listener and was always hungry to learn. He loved well and he loved often. And he was devoted to his family. As I have thought about him, I realize now that I see a lot of Jesus in Him. He focused his attention on the people around Him at any given moment and contributed what he could. He never seemed to get twisted up about politics or the craziness that accompanies it. I hope I can leave a legacy like that someday.
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It sounds like he was a great human being and follower of Jesus of Nazareth. Thanks for sharing this snapshot of him. We so need to find our human relationship skills and dust them off! At least I do. Especially after the last few years of Covid craziness and politically-related difficulties with old friends or family members. Thanks for the comment. I hope your wish comes true! ๐
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Yes, understood.
And, yes, let’s keep our hearts open and be willing to grow. ๐
(((HUGS))) ๐
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Indeed. Even when we’re old and (sometimes) decrepit! ๐ Thanks, Carolyn. ๐
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I was reading something yesterday about the opioid “crisis” and have been coming to the conclusion that we’re all broken ppl. Not everyone realizes this of course, their brokenness, and itโs what causes them to look down on others. But anyway, back to what I read…this lady volunteers and is a huge advocate of reduced harm trmt. So Europe has been doing this for years, exchanging needles bc they knew ppl are going to do drugs, so we should just give them clean needles to reduce the spread of disease and thus death. So in essence it worked. Whereas our country just wants to shun addicts so they can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. But judging and condemning ppl doesn’t work. Now HIV is on the rise here. And last yr we had the largest amount of overdose deaths. I say all this to say I think the whole system is broken. And we just need to continue to pray for our leaders. Bc this is just one example of failure. American citizens are being treated like trash bc they’re hurting and addicted to drugs. But no one offers help or that citizen won’t get help due to being stigmatized.
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Hi, KS. Thanks for your comment! I don’t think we fully understand how much our rhetoric about “them” reveals the truth about “us.” Yes, praying for our leaders is super important right now. I remember well when Europe began trying clean needles, among other things. I often wonder whether we’ve forgotten what it’s like to be compassionate, much less what it’s like to be without trustworthy options.
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