Why Do You Think Welfare Is Ok?
When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow. (Deuteronomy 24:21 NRSV)
Here is just one example of 'sharing' in the Bible. Interestingly enough, the guidelines and qualifications for those who might gather the leftovers are somewhat vague. Any alien from anywhere, any orphan orphaned for any reason and any widow, no matter how cranky. They are essentially deserving of this kindness and generosity because they are in need at that moment. I imagine that some of the aliens took more then their share. I am sure that some of the orphans were old enough to get jobs. Some of the widows were probably young gold diggers who married old rich guys who were sickly. The system just doesn't seem fair. It would be great if this was an 'everybody does the right thing' kind of world, but it is not. Honestly, most systems can be abused. That should not be reason enough to banish the system. We must encourage people to do the right thing. We must help people do the right thing. Usually, people take leftovers because that's all they believe they can get, they believe that's all they deserve. While I am a proponent of hard work, situations and circumstances are as diverse as the people in this country. And there are always loopholes and always freeloaders. If you are sure that you have never benefitted from a loophole, I'll say what the old folks say: "keep living." It is easy for us to call out all the times we worked hard for something, but many of us forget the times that a friend made a phone call to a friend, or a parent knew someone in the company, or someone bought you lunch when you forgot yours at home, or when someone gave you a ride and didn't ask for gas money. Yes, those may seem small, and you might even be able to point out to the universe the times that you paid forward, but it is still a gift that propelled you forward. It didn't land on your neck like a weight.
One of the earliest lessons we teach our children is sharing. Why is it so hard for us to do the same?
Here is just one example of 'sharing' in the Bible. Interestingly enough, the guidelines and qualifications for those who might gather the leftovers are somewhat vague. Any alien from anywhere, any orphan orphaned for any reason and any widow, no matter how cranky. They are essentially deserving of this kindness and generosity because they are in need at that moment. I imagine that some of the aliens took more then their share. I am sure that some of the orphans were old enough to get jobs. Some of the widows were probably young gold diggers who married old rich guys who were sickly. The system just doesn't seem fair. It would be great if this was an 'everybody does the right thing' kind of world, but it is not. Honestly, most systems can be abused. That should not be reason enough to banish the system. We must encourage people to do the right thing. We must help people do the right thing. Usually, people take leftovers because that's all they believe they can get, they believe that's all they deserve. While I am a proponent of hard work, situations and circumstances are as diverse as the people in this country. And there are always loopholes and always freeloaders. If you are sure that you have never benefitted from a loophole, I'll say what the old folks say: "keep living." It is easy for us to call out all the times we worked hard for something, but many of us forget the times that a friend made a phone call to a friend, or a parent knew someone in the company, or someone bought you lunch when you forgot yours at home, or when someone gave you a ride and didn't ask for gas money. Yes, those may seem small, and you might even be able to point out to the universe the times that you paid forward, but it is still a gift that propelled you forward. It didn't land on your neck like a weight.
One of the earliest lessons we teach our children is sharing. Why is it so hard for us to do the same?
Original ending 2012:
Tomorrow is election day! Remember to cast your vote for the candidate interested in sharing, and for the candidate who has sense enough to try to preserve the planet. Vote! Yours counts!
Tomorrow is election day! Remember to cast your vote for the candidate interested in sharing, and for the candidate who has sense enough to try to preserve the planet. Vote! Yours counts!
Updated 2025:
I originally wrote this article before the 2012 election. It's more than 12 years later and I think we all need to examine ourselves, and be honest about our ideas around sharing. But more specifically, we must consider what we can do in our communities to mitigate the ramifications of the recently elected president who seemingly is not at all interested in sharing.
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