Copyright Staten Island Advance
A friend passed away, suddenly, recently. We had lost contact over the years but he was once a close friend. He was a good and righteous man, the kind you don’t find a lot of lately. As with the passing of our friends Guy and Joanne and Stan and Morty, I found myself wondering why him and why now. It seemed so unfair. There aren’t enough really good people in the world. In September, the rumor once again went round the internet that the Rapture was coming. It didn’t happen, as far as I could tell. One meme stated that it had happened, but no one was found worthy. And then Joan conjectured (one of the reasons I love her) that it had happened and maybe we were all in hell and didn’t realize it. To further extrapolate, perhaps it has happened every time somebody has predicted it. And perhaps, each time, a good person was taken. That would answer the question why and why now. Maybe it’s been happening, in increments, all along. Maybe Billy Joel is right…only the good die young. If Joan’s guess is accurate, then the rest of us are now living in a hell of our own device. It sure seems like it. Folks who question the existence of a kind and loving G-d often point to the many wars, the deaths of innocent children or the very young, the existence of plagues and diseases, man’s inhumanity to other living beings. It would seem like they have a good argument. Unless… Let’s accept the hypothesis, for a moment, that those of us still here are, in fact, in hell. What do we do with that information? I would suggest that, if we accept the fact that this is hell, that it compels us to make it as close to heaven as we can. I will again quote the ever-wise Wavy Gravy: “There’s always a little bit of heaven in a disaster area.” If we are in hell, things can’t possibly get any worse. We’re all dammed for all time to spend the rest of eternity here. So, what do we do? Do we follow James Carville’s advice: “Don’t just stand there…do nothing!” Or, do we take action? Much has been made lately of politicians’ reluctance to face down key issues that affect us all: better gun regulations, women’s health care, climate change, corruption in the government, mass shootings and assassinations and attempts at assassination. Why don’t they do something, we all ask. Their hands are tied. Whether it’s to corporate sponsors or the wishes of their constituents (although most people in America feel that gay marriage is acceptable, that wars are un-winnable, that disease and poverty should not exist anywhere in the world), tied to ideas that are no longer relevant in the current political climate. Folks stuck in their ways, unable or unwilling to budge. It then falls to us to make the changes we see as necessary. If the Supreme Court decreed tomorrow that each of us had to give up 10% of our wealth to help the needy, would we object? Why wait for them? Personally I have run out of faith in SCOTUS, at least the male members who seem mired in their own pools of ancient beliefs. If change is to come, it must come from us. I’ve said this before…the rules are simple. Feed those who are hungry. Donate to a food pantry or food bank or your time at a soup kitchen. Clothe the naked. Donate items of clothing no longer used by you to a reputable charity. Visit the imprisoned. This doesn’t just mean those in correctional facilities. It means those homebound or in assisted living. It means those who no longer can venture out of their homes. Comfort the sorrowful. We have so many nowadays. Those who have lost a loved one, those whose relatives are in peril in another land. Those who have given up on the promise of America. Those whose loved ones have been ripped away from them by cruel and heartless thugs who refuse to show their faces or identify themselves in any way. And, welcome the stranger because, as we are reminded, we were all strangers once, whether we went to a new school, moved to a different neighborhood or emigrated to another country. We may not be able to take away the source of their pain, but we can ease it with a kind word, a gesture of friendship, an act of love. Love means sacrifice. Sharing your time, your energy, your possessions or your gifts. The act of sharing shows someone that they are not alone. We hear “Thank you for coming” at every funeral we’ve ever attended. What are we waiting for? We should be looking for opportunities to brighten somebody’s day with a phone call or a visit or a letter. Is this going to make hell any less endurable? Yes. Because part of the hell of hell is the feeling of isolation, separation, aloneness. If we can convince another person that they are not alone, that we hear and see them, then hell becomes less a place of isolation and more like an uncomfortable Air B&B. Sure, we’re stuck here. But, we’re not stuck here alone. We can face the demons together. We can refuse to be separated by pain or grief. Our togetherness is a way of saying “I love you”. And “I love you” turns any hell into heaven. Hold those magnificent grey heads high.
