Here are some further thoughts following this week’s sermon ENCOUNTER NOTICING.
The 1%. This is the term the “Occupy Wall Street” crowd used to decry those in America who have a disproportionately high level of wealth. I’ve never been accused of being in the 1%. The question is, should I be?
I’m not saying this because I’m writing this post whilst wearing diamond slippers as I hover over my vast estate in my state of the art helicopter (wouldn’t THAT be cool). No, I’m saying this because as far as wealth and “stuff” go, I’m much closer to the 1% level when I look at what I have compared to what most people in the WORLD have. Shoot, I may be past the 1% mark for all I know.
My mind goes to the recent, and very justified, outrage people expressed over the contaminated water situation in Flint, Michigan. Many poor, predominantly black families had been drinking water with ridiculously high levels of lead. Why? Because leaders at the top decided to try to save a few bucks. The anger was felt all over the nation because here in the USA, clean water is a given, it is rightly considered a basic human right.
Not so in much of the world. This just shows how incredibly blessed and wealthy we are here in our country. People all over the globe would weep if they could simply turn on faucet and have clean water come gushing out. They would raise their hands to the heavens if someone gave them a toilet which safely and efficiently takes bodily waste away from their home and to a treatment facility. Do you think about this? Do you know where your waste treatment facility is? Probably not. Hardly anyone does, here in the land of plenty.
You are probably in the 1% in the world. So here we are, rich in stuff and resources more than we know in America. But here in the USA, we are so terribly poor in at least one area.
The National Science Foundation puts out a General Social Survey.
In this survey there were 2 statistics that have troubled me, and kept me up at night. One involves a question that asks if a person has ANYONE in their life with whom they can discuss important issues. The answer 25% report that they do not. 1 IN 4 SAY NO! They don’t feel that they have ONE PERSON in their life with whom they can discuss important things, be they good or bad. Let that sink in. How isolated have we become?
It gets worse. If you ask the same question but say “Do you have anyone with whom you can discuss important matters aside from immediate family?” The number jumps to 53%. Over half don’t have anyone outside their family who cares to talk with them about real issues.
This doesn’t mean we aren’t using our voices to speak to people. It means that we aren’t REALLY talking with people. Just like there is a difference between hearing and listening. There is a difference between saying hi and really getting into life on life conversation.
In our country, most of us aren’t in the 1% according to the Occupy Wall Street definition, but according to the General Social Survey, a whole lot of us are in the 53%, or the 25% Something needs to change because those last two places are dangerous places to be.
Can you help be a lifeline to someone who feels they have no one? My mind goes to Acts 3, when Peter and John come across a man who is in desperate need and this happens, “Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!”
One of the greatest services you can offer in our culture today is simply being willing to stop, notice real people, look at them and say, “look at me, I want to talk to you.”
On in 4 people you see feel they have no one, and more feel they need a friend outside of their family. Being that person can change a life.