Saturday, November 8, 2014

Our Irrelevant Best

After seeing it referenced many times, I have finally read Mountains Beyond Mountains, a book about Dr. Paul Farmer who has become famous for bringing health care to some of the world's poorest places, most notably Haiti. The story gives me a bit of whiplash because the timing coincides with lots of prominent people in this country actually trying to take away health care from millions.

Even though we've had various versions of The Golden Rule around for millennia--something few declare to be an awful idea--we sadly continue to see it as immaterial, even in circumstances when it would be most useful.

I sometimes think an accurate flow chart of human thoughts and behaviors (assuming one could be created) would look like something an insane person would draw during a psychological test about their own thoughts and behaviors. A hopeful sign for such people usually includes an understanding of the problem and a desire to improve. Unfortunately, I see little of that when looking at humanity as a whole, making me see a less golden future.

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