Why Are People So Mad?

 Frustrated and famished, they try one thing after another. When nothing works out they get angry, cursing first this god and then that one, looking this way and that, up, down, and sideways—and seeing nothing… – Isaiah 8:21-22 (MSG)

I was watching the Democratic National Convention last night and one of the commentators on MSNBC talked about the 70% of Americans that are dissatisfied with the way things are in our country. According to the Pew Research Center in a nation-wide poll taken June 15-26 71% of people said they are dissatisfied with the way things are in this country. In other surveys the results came out pretty much the same. So I have to wonder why people feel so dissatisfied. If you look at other polls that ask about what the most important issues are for people in the US I think you get an answer.

People are not happy with our country because they aren’t happy with the way things are going and what is being done to address their concerns. Now if you were to look at these issues from a particular political perspective your reason for picking what you did would not be the same as someone with a very different perspective. But people in both parties agree that the top four issues are the most important.

Now I have my own assumptions about American’s and their dissatisfaction. I think people aren’t happy because they perceive that nothing is being done to address their concerns, at least nothing substantial. Those top four are all influenced by what I call the “fear factor.” The fear factor is what comes into play when people are looking at their own lives and the lives of those they care about. I think people are afraid that they will not have enough money, that a terrorist will kill them, that somehow our foreign policy is putting them in danger, and that health care will not be readily available to them as they age or need it. I think you can go down this list and see the fear factor in all of them.

So we have to ask ourselves, do we give into the fear? Do we want to live our lives in ways that lessen our fears? If so at what cost? An increase in livable wages means increased costs for goods and services. To increase security and make our nation safer from terrorism we will have to limit individual rights to a level unheard of in this country. To make the concerns of the world less of a force in our own nation we have to be willing to let the rest of the world slip into disarray or despair and hope that somehow it doesn’t visit our shores. To make sure I have all the health care I need means finding ways to pay for it and if I am not willing to regulate or control health care costs, insurance options, etc. then quality health care is only accessible to the wealthy. I could continue down the list but you get my point.

But what does our faith tell us? Almost all the elected official in this land claim religious affiliation to one or another of the major faiths of the world. All those faiths profess an ethical and moral responsibility to care for the poor and disenfranchised. They all preach a version of the Golden Rule – do to others as you would have done to you. When you lay these filters over the concerns and issues I think you see that what makes us anxious are the very places we are asked to stretch ourselves and risk for what is better for everyone and not just for me. We cannot give in to our selfish desires for security and comfort just for ourselves because in the end it will not work. If people are not cared for, respected, allowed opportunities to improve themselves and their families, held back from what is the right of every human being then sooner or later they revolt.

The biggest issue not mentioned is the disparity between the wealthy and everyone else and most of the issues on this list are issues of the wealthy wanting and needing one thing and everyone else needing another. Sure we all are dissatisfied and those top issues are all our issues but the billionaire real estate tycoon understands them in an entirely different way than the single mom working two minimum wage jobs. There isn’t a quick, easy answer that will make everyone satisfied. What we need is to find ways to improve peoples’ lives and that will mean some folks won’t get all that they want. We also need to recognize the fear factor and then set it aside so that we can begin to honestly address the issues and concerns in meaningful and productive ways.

Dear God, help me to set aside my fear, to recognize it and understand where it is coming from but to not let it get in the way of living and doing as you would have me live and do. Help me to do the hard but faithful work that will improve the lives of all your children and not just my own. Be with those who are suffering and in need. Amen.