Wildfires are raging out of control along the west coast bordering the Pacific Ocean in California as hurricanes formed in the Atlantic dumped unwanted, unprecedented amounts of rain on the Gulf Coast and east coast over the past few months. People in all parts of the country struggle to salvage and rebuild their broken lives from natural disasters that have created damages in the gazillions of dollars while they mourn the loss of loved ones unable to get out of harm’s way during the catastrophic events. American citizens in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands beg for food, water, shelter and electricity as they experience the total destruction of their infrastructures and homes.
A mad man in Las Vegas waged his own personal war against demons we may never identify, but what we do know is that he killed almost 60 people and wounded 500 more in a bloodbath executed from his hotel windows overlooking 22,000 persons at a country music concert on a Sunday night.
Today I heard a story about two of the victims of the wildfires in California: a hundred year old man and his 99-year-old wife who died in their home yesterday. They had recently celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary. Imagine.
Meanwhile, the headlines involve a Hollywood movie mega mogul who has been fired for decades of sexual harassment against women and a president (who openly admits to sexual harassment) lunching with his secretary of state who called the president a “moron” last week. They are reportedly comparing IQs for lunch table talk.
Other headlines involve the arguments between the president’s third wife a/k/a the first lady and his first wife a/k/a the new author regarding who is the more influential in the president’s life which moves our nation from reality TV directly to soap opera within the blink of a book promotion.
Our nuclear treaty with Iran hangs in the balance this week with rumors it will not be renewed. Our relationship with the unstable leader of North Korea is tenuous at best. Nuclear missiles here, there, everywhere…
America burns within itself as debates over climate change, racial and transgender discrimination, wealth disparity, patriotism, kneeling at football games, nuclear deals, the perception of the presidency, health care, tax reform, Russian election interference, building a wall, immigration, gun control – these are a few of the hot button issues that divide us; and our differences become a deep, dark wedge of despair in our democratic process.
It is imperative that people of good will speak truth – even if it is inconvenient because the fabric of our society is in danger of being torn apart. There is no “little” moment of truth.
We must speak truth during coffee breaks at work with our co-workers, standing in the grocery store lines, at family gatherings, at Sunday School and church, in our seats at concerts and sporting events, at PTA and business meetings, with our next door neighbors – and especially in our homes where we must wage peace as we teach kindness and respect for others to our children.
Our individual responsibility is to commit outrageous acts of everyday rebellions whenever we are confronted with our own moments of truth. The answers we seek to the problems we have as a country lie within ourselves. Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their nation.
Amen.
I'll Call It Like I See It 
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