Wisdom calls...

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly: defend the rights of the poor and the needy."

~Book of Proverbs; Quoted on Page 46 of The Rough Guide to a Better World.

Recently, I have been reading this. It is a basic, and indeed rough, but also an inspiring and straightforward guide about what all of us can do to fulfill our obligations to one another.

What are our obligations to one another, you might ask? Well, I don't prescribe to know how to live anyone's life for them, and I struggle often about how to live my own best life. But I tell you, if there is one thing we are called to do while we are living our mortal lives on this earth, it is to love God who created all of us together, and therefore, to love one another as ourselves.

The opportunity to love one another is always in plain view to us, if we are still and observant of our current situations. It can be disheartening to think about how much the world would be improved if others cared more about those most in need, but becoming disheartened about others does not take advantage of the opportunity we each have, holding only ourselves accountable, to make a change.

The opportunity to love one another might come to you through a phone or mail solicitation to give money to a worthwhile cause. It might be present during an argument with a loved one, when you have a choice to be silent, be combative, or to practice forgiveness all in the same moment. It might be there to love yourself in the face or what you consider a personal mistake, error or failure, with the knowledge that you are worthwhile in spite of your weaknesses.

For me, I had an opportunity one night to become a vegetarian. While eating a Mexican chicken dish, it occurred to me that I was asking an agricultural/commercial system to end lives for me, for my nourishment, in a way that I didn't need to survive. After all, I would never end the life of a cow or a chicken with my own two hands. Now, this might not resonate with you. You might find it childish even. But when I felt that emotional opportunity to commit to a life that felt more humane and loving, taking that opportunity did real things in the world. It decreased my carbon footprint by over a ton every year going forward. It increased my life expectancy by several years. And what was best, it allowed me to advocate for the rights of animals as fellow creatures, and the starving across the world as fellow human beings, without talking out of two sides of my mouth. Those are tangible benefits that came out of an intangible opportunity I could have missed trying to save the world all at once, and all on my own.

I think it is important to understand that none of us have been asked to save the world. We have grace for that, and it does not come from us. We have been asked to love one another. Or rather, it has been commanded of us, by the very bestower of grace on all of our lives.

So I think it is important to make ourselves aware of what's going on, and to look out for opportunities to serve one another daily, without lamenting the inability to make dramatic changes to world overnight.

"Defend the rights of the poor and the needy." This call comes from the Book of Proverbs, a book devoted to the development and practice of wisdom. It is wise to care for one another, especially those who need care the most, whether or not they "deserve" it at all. And I think it is wise to take our care of one another one day at a time.