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Different people don’t tend to get along so well. Have you noticed that? And history books denote sections of time, most often, using wars as markers. And almost all of those wars were between different peoples. Although it could be argued that America’s own civil war runs contrary to that assertion. But it doesn’t diminish my point. Which is how the basic issues of society haven’t changed much.And the mass murders, quickly adding up the first quarter of 2021, are somber examples of our corporate inabilities to address the problems with wisdom.
Instead…politicians, people calling themselves journalists, celebrities of all kinds, and even your garden variety neighbors spend countless hours trying to understand. What kind of animal/monster/person could he have done this? How could someone like this get to this point? Etc. Etc. Etc.
And then, naturally, calls for stricter, more stringent laws go out. And large numbers of so-called “caring individuals” jump on the bandwagon. “We gotta do a better job of educating.” Or “It’s too easy to get your hands on weapons of mass destruction.” Or how about the ubiquitous, “There oughta be a law.”
If the issues of society could be solved with laws…why haven’t they been?
I read an article, from six years ago, that said there are at least 5000 federal laws on the books. And there are somewhere between 10,000 and 300,000 regulations to go with those laws. And those are all just on the federal level. Those numbers don’t include state, county, and local laws.
So, if more laws would do the trick…why haven’t they?
Because they don’t address the root cause for the even the least harmful issues of society. Much less the mass murders epidemic.
And I can hear somebody ask, “OK, Tony…if there’s a so-called root cause for it all, what is it?”
Selfishness. And to put a little more polish on it, rebellious selfishness.
For example, when a despicable human being goes into a grocery store and shoots people he doesn’t even know, who do you think is his top priority? Yeah…self.
And I can say “despicable human being” because that’s the kind of human being who murders. “Good people” don’t murder. And I put quotes around “good people” because no one is good except God. But anyway…when you hate your fellow man, and love only yourself, you can do the worst things.
So, how do so many people get to the point of murder? Sadly, it’s because they’re raised on hate. Yeah, hate is taught in public schools, on TV, and in most major Hollywood movies. Kids are taught, from the earliest ages, that we came from animals. That we humans are just another animal. And what do animals do to survive? The strong ones kill and eat the weak ones.
So, what’s the answer to all this destructive teaching?
What can solve the issues of society, if it’s not new and better laws?
In a word…love. In three words…love AND hate.
What?! Solve the problem of hate with more hate? Yeah. But not the kind of hate you might be picturing in your head. The kind of hate that adds wisdom to love. God inspired Paul to write “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”
And to abhor means to hate with all your might.
But notice, Paul sandwiched the hate between love and good. Pretty cool, right?
This will sound somewhat counterintuitive. But if you “love your neighbor,” then you’ll hate him when he’s evil. And you’ll tell him (or her) when he’s evil. And you’ll love him enough to tell him he’s on a path to hell. But if you hate him enough, you’ll look for ways to “understand” his motives.
I didn’t come up with this concept. I’m a messenger. The only thing one person needs, in order for us to have love/hate issues, is another person. And when the issues of society include mass murders and judicial confusion, the message is more important than ever.
Accept or reject,
Invite or lose sight,
Draw near or pick fear,
Choose or lose,
Life. Love. Jesus.
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