On Wednesday I accompanied a group to
Robbinsville to work with the Appalachian Regional Ministry. Our task that day was to sort food supplied
by MANNA Food Bank and others, then distribute it to people in need from the
community. Also, we were involved in
meal preparation for some 300 folks arriving later for a free take-home dinner.
Robbinsville is a poor area as there are
few jobs available. Apparently,
businesses once located there no longer exist, and new ones never sprang
up. ARM has various programs offering
assistance to Robbinsville-area residents, with staff members and volunteers dedicated
to helping the people there.
That day, I heard of one case illustrating
some of the difficulties faced by the people in the community. We were told of a senior couple with a
combined Social Security income of $800 per month. That was bad enough, but it turned out the
couple also has to care for a disabled adult son. I’m not sure of what, if any, assistance,
financial or otherwise, the son is receiving, other than the help and support
of his elderly parents.
One of the people working that day, whom I
assume was an ARM staff person, given her leadership of our volunteer efforts,
clearly had a commitment to the work. As the day wore on, I learned she has a
family member with some serious health issues requiring frequent trips to a
medical center in Atlanta. Another
worker from the ARM staff, a man who appeared to be in his seventies, had a
checkered history, and was recovering from addiction. He spent many years drifting from place to
place and from low-paying job to low-paying job. There were others there that day, not part of
our group, who spend a lot of time working as volunteers with ARM, performing a
variety of tasks.
Not to sound elitist or snobbish, but none
of these folks exhibited a high level of sophistication or education. But there they were, working hard to help
meet the basic needs of others. Reports
often indicate that people of lesser means are more generous with charitable
giving than their wealthier counterparts.
On Saturday, I attended a gathering of
people from our neighborhood. There was
coffee, as well as various types of a Danish-like pastry favored by the
hosts. I don’t know how it started, but
the conversation turned to homeless and otherwise poor people. I always dread that kind of conversation by
privileged, mostly “educated” people. As
expected (by me), the talk, for some of those present, slid into exasperation
and criticism of poor people.
One person mentioned how he “heard” that
“they” can make as much as $30,000 by asking for money on street corners and traffic
intersections. “That’s like getting $50,000 before taxes, which, of course,
they don’t pay!” While I held my tongue,
I thought to myself, “Proving what? If it’s so great, why don’t you do it? Who in this room would want to live on
$30,000 a year?”
Others mentioned experiences encountering
homeless people, and some generalized about them: “Why aren’t they working? There are jobs available.” Of course, there are many issues at
play. Some of the people in question
have mental health concerns. Some are
addicts. Some have lost their homes and
families for a variety of reasons. Some
returned from war with PTSD, or horrendous physical injuries.
Many have no fixed address, job references,
much education, or experience, making it difficult to get hired. Some are able-bodied and could work, but many
of the poor are elderly, or children.
Systemic racism has limited opportunities for education, housing, health care, and employment
for generations of African-Americans in our country. Immigrants often are scorned. It is a very complicated problem in our
society.
Nationally, we went from the War on
Poverty in the 1960’s to a War on the Poor by subsequent “leaders” of our country
(Ronald Reagan, I’m looking at you and your political imitators and heirs.) I have been in meetings with members of
Congress who flatly stated, “The poor have no voice” when it comes to setting
society’s priorities,
None of my privileged neighbors complained
about corporate welfare and the tax “reforms” that benefit the wealthy of our
country while clobbering those least able to absorb the blows. (Hello again,
Reagan. Hello Bushes. Hello Florida man.)
On Sunday, Mary and I attended a worship
service with some 800 Episcopalians (and others) at which the preacher was the
head of the denomination, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. He spoke at least twice as long as most
mainline preachers, including me, but in the midst of his many stories and
humorous asides he stuck in this knife:
“When love moves in, selfishness moves out.” Again, it was a largely
privileged audience that heard him, and I hope they (we) remember less the
funny moments and take to heart the message of love replacing selfishness. Because then, he said, “the world can be at
peace.”
The love replacing selfishness is not an
easy love to embrace or to share.
Selfishness tempers much of how we relate to one another. So, to my ear, Bishop Curry was speaking in
radical terms; terms that go beyond merely sharing from our excess or leftovers
with those in need; terms that go beyond condescension to those “lesser”
according to dominant culture standards; terms that dissolve hostility toward
those who are “different.” It seems to
me that the love replacing selfishness involves compassion, which instead of
feeling sorry means entering into someone else’s distress and suffering; it
means standing with them, offering salve to their wounds.
Selfishness really has no room for any of
that. The love that moves in to shove selfishness
out the door is life-giving and peace-building.
It is a quality of love needed by the poor and rich alike. It is a quality of love that brings hope to
our estranged and alienated humanity.
Yes, it was quite a week, giving me some things to think about.
