Shade Tree Wisdom 10/12/11

          We are now in the second week of October and it was still so warm for the walk this morning that the breeze from a passing car actually felt good.  Amazing, but cooler weather is in the offing.

          Alexis de Tocqueville, who lived in the eighteenth century, was a French historian and political thinker who toured America in the 1830’s to see how this nation worked.  One of his conclusions, offered in his book Democracy in America, is that “The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money.”  What a bitter truth. Because that seems to be happening to us.

          Thomas Jefferson saw this, “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who will not.”

          The Pilgrims discovered this right away.  They decided on a system whereby everything belonged to everybody.  That simply did not work, because so many of the ‘everybody’s’ did not carry any part of the supply burden.

          Loren Steffy, a financial columnist, points out that these marches on Wall Street and other cities are partly protesting the fact that the financial system has been corrupted.  He points out people are protesting because CEO salaries increase even though their company stock tanked.  Or banks get massive government help and return that favor to taxpayers with higher credit card fees and offer less than 1% interest on savings.
Life isn’t fair, is it?

          But let’s remember there are rules that God has built into the fabric of this world.  St.Paul reminds us of one.  In his letter to the church at Thessalonica he wrote, “Even when we were with you we gave you this rule, ‘if a man will not work, neither should he eat’.” 2 Thess 3,11.

          Let me close with one other word from St. Paul.  This when he wrote the letter to the Galatians, “Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Gal. 6,7.  This touches on the law of consequence.  For every action, there is a like reaction.  The truth we must learn to accept in this uneasy situation.

          Paul ends his letter with this blessing, “. . .what counts is a new creation.  Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule. . .the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.” Gal. 6, 15-18.

GPD 10/12/11