The Anatomy of a Victim

After my last blog post in which I made a call to action for Christians to step up and do more to care for their fellow man, and laid out my views concerning the incompatibility of Christianity and Socialism, I have done a lot of thinking.

I was not at all surprised that quite a few people didn’t agree with what I had to say.  I was, however, a bit taken aback at the few who felt the need to not only disagree, but attack and insult me. 

So I mulled some things over – would there be a way for me to express my views in a way that wouldn’t rub some people the wrong way?  How could I reach out to all readers, how could I ensure that everyone who reads my blog would walk away happy?   Should I be more politically correct – is that the answer for me? 

I pondered how I might write this next post so that nobody could possibly take offense.  But I have come to the conclusion that broaching the subject matter at hand in a politically correct way would so whittle away at the heart of my message that there would essentially be nothing of value left for me to say.

So if you are easily offended and have a tendency to lash out at people you disagree with, I would ask that you either read no further, or keep your vitriolic comments to yourself.  Perhaps you might start your own blog where you can express your opinions, as I do here on mine.

Comments from thoughtful, well-intentioned individuals, whether in agreement with me or not, are completely welcome.

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With that out of the way, I wanted to discuss another relatively touchy matter – one that might tick some people off, but one that must be addressed within the topic of Socialism and government assistance to the poor and disadvantaged.

If you happen to be an enthusiastic backer of government assistance, please don’t jump to conclusions about me and where I am coming from.  Yesterday I saw a video clip on an online newspaper showing a Conservative, anti-government healthcare rally.  I saw a man with a picket sign who was screaming – “No free healthcare.  Get a job!”  I was disheartened at what appeared to be disdain for the unemployed.

I don’t disdain the poor and needy.  Neither do I feel the need to brag about myself and my own charitable endeavors.  My viewpoints on helping the poor should be clear enough from my last post – we the people have a responsibility to care for those less fortunate than ourselves!  I practice what I preach.  I believe that a lot of people doing something can really make a difference.

Someone made the comment on my last post that my arguments “demonstrate[] the odd and unquestioning adherence . . . to the American myth that assumes the poor exist because of poor choices, and the rich because of wise choices (when in fact, it's usually the other way around . . .)”.

Yes, as a matter of fact, many of my arguments against Socialism do rest on the principle that there is something that poor people are doing that is causing them to be poor, and there is something that the rich understand that is causing them to be rich.

People who are happy are doing something that is causing them to be happy.  People who aren’t happy are doing something that is making them unhappy.  Sometimes crappy things happen.  But don’t we see examples of people who find a way to be happy in spite of horrific circumstances?  These are the people who inspire authors, filmmakers, and everyday people like most of us! 

To me, it’s just about as preposterous to believe that people who are poor got there because of wise choices and rich people became rich through poor choices (as my commenter argued), and that the poor people deserve the wealth of the rich, as it would be to assume that chronically unhappy and crotchety people are really the ones who deserve to be happy in life – let’s steal the happiness from the happy and give it to those who are miserable!

I certainly don’t believe that blaming depressed, economically-disadvantaged people for their circumstances is the answer either.  This life can be challenging, to say the least!  A whole lot of people have been through a whole lot of hell!

On December 31, 2005 I stayed up late with some friends to see in the New Year.  This New Year’s had a special significance for me – I had no sadness or nostalgia in watching 2005 slip away in the night.  2005 was my year of personal hell, and watching it die to make way for 2006 gave me pure delight!

Though others have certainly been through worse, 2005 was the culmination of a string of several really bad years for me.  It was the pinnacle of suckiness to which my life reached; it was a year that tried me like no other. 

I was an overachiever, and in 1999 I suddenly found myself laid up with a mystery illness that claimed my enthusiasm, my energy, my personality – my ability to function effectively as a contributing member of society.  By 2004, it had seemed my life had taken a turn for the better with a few positive developments including marriage, which I had long awaited (I was 29). 

But in 2005 it all came crashing down.  The wretchedness of that year was profound to me.  Ongoing physical disability, the pain and humiliation of separation and divorce, losing my health insurance, debt, underemployment, having no real address for almost the entire year, and more . . .  In short, 2005 sucked in a broad, all-encompassing, multi-faceted kind of way.  I even had two freak car accidents in which my car was hit and banged up by other people under somewhat bizarre circumstances!  I was just waiting for the next bad thing to happen . . .

At age 30, I was forced to rely on the mercy of my parents and friends.  Age 30!  I had not envisioned spending the better part of my 20’s as a financial and emotional leach, and could never have guessed that by age 30 and with my two Master’s degrees, I would be so reliant on the help of others and only able to make $600-$800 per month cleaning a wealthy lady’s house and care-giving for a 90-year-old (this job was great – I got paid to take naps when she did!). 

Though my life never sunk to levels faced by Auschwitz detainees or child prostitutes (thank the heavens!!!), I would never wish my 2005 on my worst enemy.

But 2005 was also a blessed year.  It was the year I learned something that has changed the course of my life forever, and led to many of the good things I now enjoy in my life!  Without this realization, I am quite certain I would still be sick and completely broke, and I am beyond sure that I would still be deeply unhappy.

I was reading a book that a friend gave to me, and I read this quote –

“If you want to know what your deeper beliefs are, look at your life and it will tell you.  Life is a mirror reflecting back at us what we believe about ourselves.” (Remembering Wholeness, p. 24) 

Ouch.

But what a blessed awakening!

I can’t adequately describe how empowering it was for me to realize that I was not a victim of my ex-husband’s choices, chronic fatigue syndrome, or anything or anyone else!  I was not a victim!

I chose out of victimhood.  I forgave those who had hurt me (I believe this is the KEY to moving from victimhood to empowerment).  It was a miracle!  And it was the beginning of a total revolution in my life!  I was able to start taking responsibility for the things that were showing up in my life, and then things started showing up that I really wanted.

In September of 2005, I got about 95% of my health back in one week after 6 years of having the stamina of a sick 80-year-old.  I got a full-time job a few months later.  I bought a house.  I started a business, and eventually another two. 

I have had my ups and downs since 2005, and do to this day because I am a human being living on planet earth.  I still have rough days like anyone else -- and still have junk in my trunk. 

I don’t feel sorry for people any more.  But I do feel empathy.  My old tendencies of wanting to rescue people (as well as wanting to be rescued myself) are dying.  Good riddance!

I don't see the poor as victims, but as people who need to be taught principles that govern wealth and given the opportunity to operate in these principles.  Sick people aren't victims either -- they stand in need of learning the principles that govern health, and then need to put them to use.

Though someone standing on a ledge of a 20-story building needs someone right then to talk them out of jumping, someone starving to death needs food immediately, and a person in cardiac arrest needs CPR and medical attention now more than anything else, most of us on any given day are in no danger of dying if we’re not rescued from our problems.  In fact, in some cases the rescuing can do more damage than not!

People with a track record of failed relationships don’t need the perfect person to come along and rescue them from their sad and lonely state as much as they need to learn the principles that govern happy relationships and practice those principles right where they’re at!

People up to their ears in debt don’t need a bailout from their debt as much as they need to learn the principles that govern sound finances, and put them into practice now.

People with health problems don’t need free health care with prescription drug benefits as much as they need to honestly assess what they can do to change so that they can heal, and then take action! 

People living in squalor, poverty, and illiteracy don’t need someone to hand them the keys to a brand new house with a well-stocked refrigerator as much as they need someone to teach them how to read, how to work, and how to manage their life, and then to be given the chance to rise up. 

Tragedy seems to beget tragedy.  I have personally experienced to a certain extent the downward spiral that can take place when one tragedy or difficulty leads to another, which leads to another.  People need help to get out of the hole.

And I was helped tremendously by family and friends -- I owe them my eternal gratitude!  But if I hadn’t taken it upon myself to learn principles of healing, of forgiving, of debt-reduction, of success in business then I could very well still be in the hole I was in 5 years ago.  No government program could have taught these things to me.  When I, the student, was ready and humbled to the dirt, then the teachers appeared.  .

Getting out of a hole appears to come as a result of some combination of personal desire, resolve, and action, the assistance of others, and Divine Grace.  Any assistance that negates the personal responsibility of the individual to do his/her part, or the role of Divine Grace in lifting people up out of a pit is not only inadequate, but totally misleading as well.

Some people reading this may not be in to this whole “Divine Grace” thing.  If that is you, then you probably have your reasons for feeling that way and you are more than welcome to disagree with me.  But I doubt there are many people who would argue that personal responsibility to move past dysfunction and tragedy isn’t absolutely essential in rising out of an ash heap no matter who is willing to assist, and how much!

From my perspective, in societies where Socialism is practiced, there is an underlying assumption that people are victims and must be rescued.  The masses must be cared for and nurtured through government programs in order to achieve happiness and security in life.  

Instead of making people into victims as we attempt to provide help, let’s give immediate help to those in immediate danger, and take action to teach everyone else the principles that will help them rise up themselves.

To be continued . . .

Why I Believe Christianity & Socialism are Wholly Incompatible

Today there are an estimated 6.8 billion people inhabiting this world -- a world with the technology to go to the moon and back, a world where individuals on completely different continents routinely communicate with one another via phone and internet, and a world with some serious issues yet to be solved.

Of the 6.8 billion people walking this planet, a little over 1 billion of them don't have enough to eat.

With all of the conveniences and marvels of our modern world, large-scale preventable human misery still has not gone the way of the dinosaur.

Who is to blame?  What is to be done??

Of those who care to seriously address this issue, why is it that not everyone can agree on the solution?  Should people be left to their own devices and let "survival of the fittest" determine who wins and loses in this life?  Should governments step in and come to the rescue of those in need?  What role can or should you and I play in meeting the needs of the poor and afflicted?

In this article I will share my personal convictions regarding the care of the poor and needy.  I will draw upon my own experience with being partially-disabled for 6 years in my young adulthood, and being one who would qualify as poor and needy.  I will also draw upon my experiences living in Russia in the late 90's and my extensive graduate-level research on the Soviet Union, as well as my understanding of the Bible and Christian philosophy.

Whether or not you agree with the arguments I lay out here, I hope that you will at the very least take them as coming from one who knows what it is to rely on someone else for my daily bread, and who has studied and seen some of the dangers inherent in philosophies popular in our world over the past century plus, including the prominent philosophy of Socialism.

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In this article, I will specifically address my comments to people of the Christian faith living the United States of America who applaud our nation's incremental Socialist agenda, who seek to enliven and expand government programs to care for the poor and needy.

I first must commend you for your active desire to see the downtrodden cared for.  You show more dedication to the poor than many in your faith, "laissez faire" Christians who bemoan government involvement with welfare programs but who themselves do little to alleviate the suffering of anyone.  These Christians are waiting to make it big before giving to the poor.  They are waiting to have all their needs met before looking around them to perceive the pressing needs of others in their vicinity.

Next, I must tell you why I believe Socialism and Christianity to be two incompatible philosophies.

Many well-meaning Christians look upon a Socialist government and get warm fuzzies in their stomach thinking of all the people that are cared for.

But Socialism is wholly incompatible with the Christian principles of free will and personal responsibility to care for the widow, the orphan, the sick, and the poor.

What reward is there in heaven for the Christian who merely pays their taxes in a welfare state, but does nothing of their own initiative to succor the needy?

“We shall prove to them that they are nothing but weak, pathetic children, but that a child’s happiness is the sweetest of all.  They will grow timid and cling to us in fear, like chicks to a hen.”

Christian philosophy asserts that, though fallen, man was created in the image of God and any man or woman is capable of inheriting salvation and all their fondest hopes and dreams from God through the mediation of the Savior, and through making the personal choice to submit to the conditions required for these blessings.

Socialist philosophy assumes that the masses as dumb as children, and they don’t need a god to reach their fondest dreams, but a government to hand out the goodies.

In Christian philosophy, individuals are responsible to care for the needs of the poor, the sick, the widow, and the orphan, but not compelled.  Those who rise to the challenge will find themselves on the right hand of God because of their CHOICES, and those who don’t will not receive the blessings reserved for those who do.

In Socialist philosophy, all are compelled to care for the needy whether they want to or not (through taxation), and this care comes through the administration of a notoriously inefficient bureaucracy.

Christian philosophy causes men and women to rise up, work for their sustenance depending oftentimes on faith that help will come if and when it is needed.  It is hard, it is risky, but the rewards of making the proper use of God-given free will are great.  The consequences of poor choices can be brutal.

Socialist philosophy seeks to soften the blows of consequences to natural laws, both positive consequences – financial abundance for the thrifty, wise, hard-worker -- and negative consequences – poverty to those who break the natural laws that govern abundance.

A life of high stakes -- which this life is whether we want it to be or not -- engenders faith in God for those with a desire to prevail.  It is the very difficulties of existence in this realm that allow men and women to develop the faith in God necessary for them to walk back into his presence.

Socialism falsely informs men and women there is another way to reach their ultimate dreams besides faith in any god.

"And men rejoice at being led like cattle again, with the terrible gift of freedom that brought them so much suffering removed from them.”

Christianity allows men and women the opportunity to make great sacrifices for those in need and reap the blessings as a results, or not makes those sacrifices and miss out on certain blessings.

Socialism steals the show and takes the credit for the care of the poor and needy, ironically leaving fewer people with the means to do great good in this world, as well as with less incentive.

Christianity says there is freedom in trusting in God.

Socialism says there is freedom in trusting in the government.

Christian philosophy depicts a utopian society, a millennium of peace after the Second Coming of Jesus, in which the meek will inherit the earth and the poor in spirit will inherit the kingdom of God, in which kings and queens (the wealthy) will willingly carry the downtrodden on their shoulders and lift them higher than themselves.

Socialist philosophy depicts a utopian society which is a worker’s paradise, a dream for the common man which comes as a result of loyalty to the state and the kings and queens being forced to cough up their wealth to subsidize the poor.

“So, in the end, they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us: ‘Enslave us, but feed us!’  And they will finally understand that freedom and the assurance of daily bread for everyone are two incompatible notions that could never coexist!” 

Instead of food stamps and welfare checks given year after year to the same individuals, I would like to see the poor and needy taught to find a need in society they can fill in order to put food on their own tables.

Those who refuse to work should not eat the bread and wear the clothes of the laborer.  Those who cannot work due to disability should preferably be cared for by family and friends.

Instead of people clamoring for “universal health care”, I would like to see more doctors, nurses, and healers of all persuasions donate their skills in the care of the sick who can’t afford care.

What about people who fall in between the cracks?  Don’t we need a government program in place to take care of all of them??  What about Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security – don’t we need these and other programs? 

I honestly don’t know about that.  All I do know is that continuing our march deeper into the heart of Socialism will only lead to a weaker populace – weaker because of a dependence on government.  Weaker because the most productive elements of society lose their incentive and their ability for productivity.  Weaker because faith in God becomes less important as faith in a system of government, an entity that completely lacks the power to bring salvation and our fondest dreams, begins to take precedence.

Faith in any system other than the system of God is sure to ultimately bring disappointment to those who possess it.  Freedom and personal accountability for how we use our freedom is risky, but there truly is no other way to salvation other than their proper use.

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I believe Socialism to be the great counterfeit for God's higher law of choosing to consecrate our means and possessions to the poor.

Socialism diminishes the incentive for excellence, is enabling to those it purports to serve, and causes people to trust in government more than they trust in God.

Look at Europe -- faith in God that was such a part of European society in past times has been replaced with widespread secularism!   The great cultures of Europe are dying out due to negative population growth.  Some have postulated that there is a connection between Socialism and Europe's low birth rate.  I don't know about that.  But I do know that in the past as well as today, Socialism has led to Communism (indeed, Karl Marx himself saw Socialism as merely a transitional philosophy that naturally would lead to Communism).  If you aren't aware of the atrocities that Communist governments have enacted upon their own people, read here.

But some of you may be thinking -- we gave the Christians their chance to feed the hungry.  They had a couple thousand years to do away with hunger, and they didn't do it!

You are completely correct.  As a whole (with some notable exceptions, however), we have not done our job sufficiently!  While there are some who admirably devote a great deal of effort and financial means to care for the poor, there are many more of us who sit back, pay our taxes, pay some tithing and offerings here and there, but are so wrapped up in our own lives that we do little to heed Jesus Christ's admonition to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the sick.

Fellow Christians and all other good people of the earth, let's take action TODAY.  Let's take action now to help someone in need, even if we ourselves are struggling to make ends meet.  Let's do so much good that those who promote government programs to care for the poor will be shocked and inspired!

 What can you do now?  I urge you to sit down and prayerfully consider where you can give of your time and means to bless those in need.

If you can't come up with anything that feels significant, check out this wonderful video made by some friends of mine who are mobilizing a lot of people to each do a little bit!

The degree to which taking care of the poor and the needy is instituted and administered by government is the degree to which freedom is abdicated.

When individuals, families, and privately-run organizations take it upon themselves to care for the poor, and when this care is given in the name of Jesus Christ, it leads both the giver and receiver back to heaven!

If you are Christian and have read this article, you have been called to action.  Choose now to answer the call!

Quotes in italics are taken from the monumental novel The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky