Editorial

This Thanksgiving, we confess to being troubled by the growing divide between the “haves” and the “have nots” in society, and the smug sense of entitlement we experience many "haves" to exude concerning that trend. We are not living in a time of compassion and generosity. Certainly, many people are compassionate and generous, but it is not the temper of this age.

The headlines that are bumping the deepening tragedy in Iraq off the front page range from an adulterous matinee idol husband murdering his wife and child to a brawl incited by millionaire professional basketball players and some equally swinish fans. Barely noticed are the reports that disease and starvation among children in Iraq now far surpass levels that existed prior to the U.S. invasion. A national election turned, we are told, on a visceral, ugly prejudice against persons seeking nothing more than to love and bond with one another. A climate of censorship and intimidation is beginning to infect the entertainment industry and the media. As tax cuts benefit the rich, “austerity” is the budget watchword for the rest of us. In a rhetorical sleight of hand, the government is proposing the “elimination of exemptions” instead of tax hikes, including for things like the health insurance provided by small businesses to their employees. As the dollar plummets, the federal deficit deepens, the national debt soars and interest rates start to climb, the “haves” act to insulate themselves at an even greater expense to the "have nots." Hatred and fear dominate the consciousness of more people, including in the U.S., than perhaps ever before.

Manifestations of all this on the local level are particularly unsavory and there are unfortunately plenty of them. The watchword for this holiday season, for those who care, is caution. We urge everyone to take extra care to make sure they are not falling into line with the dominant mood of the times. Both for those who won and for those who lost the election this month, the watchword is the same. Indifference to the needs that compassion and generosity serve, the result of either the euphoria of victory or the despair of defeat, is ultimately the greatest danger that society can face.

For many who lost, self-doubt and incrimination dwell beneath a thin veneer of hope threatening to translate into a new “pragmatism” that may be code for a compromise of core values. There is an aura of angry and weary resignation among some that troubles us deeply. It is perhaps the case this year more than in many recent years that the spirit of the holiday season is not a mere self-indulgent luxury, but a desperate social necessity. If we can pray for a miracle in the spirit of the season, then maybe it should be for nothing more than that our hearts shall not grow cold.