Human Nature

I have been reading a blog post of someone who strongly opposed the Health Care Bill. He is a very fine man, and unlike the rabble-rousing, blindly conservative people we hear from all too often, he is an intelligent, thinking person who has looked at the problems and has arrived quite sincerely at a different conclusion than the one I have reached. I am truly sad that he is devastated by the passage of the bill, knowing that I would have exactly that reaction had it not passed. His feelings today are that the majority of the American people were NOT heard and that disaster for our country will surely follow. Just what I would have felt if the situation were reversed.

Only time will tell which of us has drawn the right conclusions. Without a crystal ball, no human on earth ever knows exactly what is the right path - for country, for family, or for personal action. Each of us draws on experience, observation, the teachings of those we believe in, and as much plain common sense as we can muster, and forges ahead, praying that we are doing the right thing.

Sadly, along the way, far too many of us choose to demonize "the other guy" who disagrees with us, hurling epithets and widening the gap between "my way" and "your way".

Why is it so difficult for us to agree to disagree? No one - absolutely NO ONE - is right all of the time. Not about political or social issues. Not even about religious issues - because everyone's interpretations differ. Each one of us has to think long and seriously, and once convinced of the right thing to do, make every effort to follow that path.

My personal feelings concerning this Health Care Bill are that it falls far short of what it should be. That there will be many problems and glitches along the way. But that it was way past time to make a start to do something - almost anything - toward bringing us closer to providing for millions of suffering people in our country. We still have such a long way to go.