An ancient source states: “When
the mountains bear grain, people enjoy peace.”
Want
increases anxiety; it produces jealousy and desire. When people have work, when they have income,
when dependents look to them for sustenance – they generally act with care and
deliberation. On the other hand, when a
society is fearful, when they look for food and find none, when work is sporadic
or non-existent – people become suspicious and potentially hateful.
A just
society is one that has both expectations of the individual with attendant responsibilities
along with the possibility of being lifted out of poverty when life becomes too
oppressive. We are our brother’s keeper and as such need to learn morality in our
religious institutions and schools.
There is a right and wrong.
A great
Jewish thinker once suggested that a ‘just society is determined by the way it
treats its poor.’ Few people would ever
doubt that the privileged are denied justice.
What we need to be concerned with is that the underprivileged receive
the same treatment.
I
therefore make two suggestions:
1. We
need to constantly learn and teach not just mathematics and science but
morality as well.
2.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to work and learn and eat. There are times in a person’s life when they
are impoverished of spirit. At such
times, it is the responsibility of the larger community to help them
reestablish their ability to be self-sufficient and a contributing member of
society.
No comments:
Post a Comment