Cause

What makes people think they can take what they do not own, that they can use without permission, abuse without consent, steal without a word, without a warning?

This mentality surrounds me. I see it in simple things. A seat on the bus. A worthless possession. But it has expanded beyond these meaningless trifles, these acts of selfishness that bring nothing more than frustration.

A life. Many lives. Snatched away before their times. Innocence lost, stolen by those less innocent. No permission. No consent given. Stolen by actions compelled by a mindset that says, "I am all that matters."

The degradation of life fills this world. The depreciation of life. The desensitization of our minds. The things we tell ourselves to justify the actions of others and ourselves. A life lost because she didn't want a child is not a life.

This is depreciation: not understanding the worth of life. And thereby degrading it. Without appreciation for another's life, how can you truly appreciate your own? If you devalue life by taking it, what does this say about your own life?

It does not always relate to me. But I see it in the world around me. Is that not enough? The cause may not affect me, but the effect causes me to react.

Ecclesiastes Part 4

Definitely didn't post one a day... But here's another!

Ecclesiastes Chapter Four

Verses 1-3

Because of all the evil and oppression in the world Solomon is saying that the ones who are no longer living here are better off than those still alive, and the ones who have it best are the ones who have not yet lived and therefore have not seen all the evils of the world.

Verses 4-8

He is talking about selfishness here – whether it is someone coveting what someone else has, or constantly laboring just to gain more for oneself.  He says that both are worthless pursuits – “grasping for the wind.”

Verses 9-12

This stresses the importance of human companionship.  Although God truly is all we need, He gave us other people for a reason – because it was “not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18).  God wants us to have friends, to have people who will hold us up and who we can do the same for.  They can help us in practical matters and in spiritual matters.

Verses 13

Age and status and wealth are not important – wisdom matters more.  As my professor says often, “You can have a wise young person, and you can have an old fool.”