Thursday, March 26, 2015

TOLLERANCE - BUT ONLY A CERTAIN AMOUNT AND ONLY ON THE TOPICS THAT I CHOOSE


Here’s an interesting statistic for you:  Approximately 300 persons per year are killed in the state of California in hit and run accidents.  That means most days a Californian will kill another Californian with his car and then drive away to avoid responsibility.  Yesterday on NPR an official of the state said (and this is an approximate quote since I was driving and unable to write down what I heard) that this is a horrible situation – near four times the national average – and that “a cultural change must take place.”  His concern is California’s lack of concern for accidents in which human lives are effected.  You cannot simply hit a human being with your car and then drive away.
 
But I thought, “Why not?”  Is change what California really wants?  Are they prepared to do what would be required in order to effect a “cultural change?”  Or do they have exactly what they want?
 


Consider this about the Golden State:  They are on the verge of allowing physician assisted suicide.  They are a death penalty state.  Abortion rights are vigorously upheld.  The state self-funded embryonic stem cell research.  And these are just some of the issues that over a period of time teach a people that when life inconveniences you, you may do away with it. 
 
If you teach a rectory dog to bark whenever someone rings the doorbell, you can’t expect him not to do so on the occasion that this time it is the bishop that is ringing the bell.  In a similar way, when you teach a body of people that when your life might be change in a way that you don’t like you have a right to ask for death, you can’t expect that people to keep such a belief in tight little boxes.  Why is it Okay to kill a child in the womb that will take away my college career or Okay to allow grandma to do away with herself before she eats up my time or inheritance, but it is not Okay from me walk away from an accident (after all, it was only an accident right?) since it will simply eat up my time, attention, and resources and not really solve anything?
 
So California, are you really ready for a “cultural change?”  My prayers are with you.

3 comments:

Pat said...

Great point, Father.

And the irony is that hit and run accidents involve strangers with no connection to the driver. Abortion and assisted suicide ("Here, I'll help you kill yourself.) involve those closest to us. Even embryonic stem cell research involves the giving away of our embryonic children.

Nan said...

Illegal aliens without car insurance.

Anonymous said...

You realize that correlation is not causation?

A really complicated issue here, but I am not ready for another flame war.

Back in the 60s some of us thought that the way to achieve attitude change was to work on the lesser issues first. Maybe that's what needs to happen in California. But, keep in mind that California is very diverse, and many people probably share your belief.