We live in a world of excess—excessive eating, drinking, amassing stuff, emotions, highs, lows, even excessive “in betweens!” We are ruled by the exclamation point and by the appendage “-est” —okay is NOT an option. Okay becomes the boringest—the worsest! Even our language is subject to this phenomenon—the best grammar is reserved for “elitists” and lack of grammar is for the dummest or coolest, depending on your point-of-view.

We sleep on a sidewalk outside a store in hopes of snagging one of this year’s hottest holiday gifts—the Wii. I mean, really, can you imagine a holiday get-together without one? Please!

We dream of how we can get one extra mile per gallon out of our Hummer—yes, for multiples thousands of dollars a mechanic can convert your gas guzzling vehicle into a diesel or hybrid engine. Thank God! I certainly couldn’t live without my Hummer. What would people say? 

And how about our places of worship? Today one can vie for being a member of the biggest, largest, newest, oldest, most spiritual, truest,  super-evangical “We are Saved” church, synagogue, mosque, etc.

We are Americans! We have the best, are the best, build the best, and who cares about the rest of the world? We wrestle with the real problems—immigration, global warming (“Honey, would you turn the heat up a tad?”), whether to nominate a woman, a Black, a preacher, various womanizers, a Mormon as President of this Superpower we call the U. S. of A.. And, we really thought the world would come to an end when we elected a Catholic???

We are immune to the happenings in the rest of the world or we feign interest if it benefits our resume. “Quaint”—a word used to describe a horrific slum, Mukuru, in Nairobi, Kenya, “but not something I really want to see when traveling!” said by a woman I know. An oil spill in South Korea—pity! Thank God it didn’t happen here—where it would have meant something! Floating garbage in the Pacific Ocean the size of the state of Texas—disgusting, truly disgusting! But don’t look at me! I don’t litter. (“Honey, did you remember to bring the bottled water?”)

Not my problem! Not my fault! I can’t cure all the world’s ills! Okay, I’m with you on that. How about working on just one thing? One thing that one person could do to help repair our world? Would you do it? Sure, sure thing—as soon as Super Sunday Football is over…