The Poor

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Aug 26, 2016 at 06:19

Hi, Theophilo.

I like your username, which means "Friend of God".

Here's what seems to be happening. It all basically boils down to selfishness (aka "sin"). The best objective example I can think of, is in the movie "Polyanna",

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etdtudgajJM

wherein Polyanna approaches the Ladies' Aide Society about taking on an orphan boy. The society is very enthusiastic about supporting orphans in India, but not actually putting up a dirty waif in their own homes. As Polyanna left the meeting in defeat, the camera panned to a sign on the wall, saying, "God is Love".

I am in this class of people. I was brought up on welfare, after my disabled father abandoned my mother. My mother remarried, and we became middle class -- a blue-collar working family, with a good union pension and benefits. Then, after leaving the US Army, I became homeless and glommed onto a hippie commune. After this, I had a "born again" experience, and began to "follow Jesus" on a nearby Christian commune.

Over the years, the commune sent church-planting teams, all over the world. Then the brethren began to marry and build businesses. By and by, the communes closed down; and for my part, I started to support the Rescue Mission. Then, insidiously, we became Upper Middle Class, even borderline "Thriving". We have a roomy house, with multiple guest rooms. We keep them in reserve for our daughter's family, for her and the grandchildren to stay when they come home on leave from China. Yes, China -- our personal "Lady's and Gentleman's Aid Society", consisting of our daughter and her family, is in China, not India. Otherwise, we might fit well into the movie "Polyanna".

What can I say? Like Michael Doolittle, in "My Fair Lady", I have become hopelessly Middle Class. I can identify with the poor, but my interests are with my own class, and I know it. Some in the Elite, like Arkansas po' boy Bill Clinton, may have entirely forgotten where they came from, but I haven't. We continue to give to the poor from our plenty, and I teach at the Rescue Mission once a month, about God and His love; but I am very, very comfortable living the quiet, undisturbed life of a gentleman.

That's the basic problem, you see. All this political stuff is just window dressing. There is no political party that really cares for the poor. The Democrats are like Caesar, and the Republicans are like Brutus. Donald Trump is like an Equestrian, aspiring to high office; and he is despised by Senatorial types like... shall I say, Daniel Pipes? Or is Daniel just another Equestrian. If so, he is an Ivy League Equestrian. When one climbs the ranks of our social order, one finds that the class distinctions become greater, not less: There is no end to hen-pecking.

Judgment is coming soon. Many of he poor and desperate have been crying out to God; and God has heard their cries. I don't think it will be very long, perhaps 12 years at the most, before the current world order is utterly destroyed; and it won't be replaced by some New Age Utopia: There will be cries of pain, from the great and the small; and the meek will inherit the earth.

Shalom shalom :-)

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