Recently, when the current occupant of the White House was asked by a reporter if there were any constraints on his global powers, he answered: “Yeah, there is one thing.
John, I really appreciated this piece. You hit on the one question most of us spend a lot of time trying to dodge by overcomplicating it: "Who is my neighbor?"
It’s easy to be a "neighbor" to the person next door who looks like us or the folks who share our politics. But you stripped away those comforts. I liked how you tracked that moral line from the old purity laws of Leviticus straight through to the "Good Alien" on the road to Jericho. It lands in a place that’s getting harder and harder to ignore these days. Being a neighbor isn't about geography or tribal loyalty; it’s a universal responsibility that includes the stranger, the environment, and even the people on the other side of a fence.
We’re seeing so much "side-stepping" right now—people rationalizing their way around basic human decency because they claim "it all depends" on the situation. Your post reminded me that "choosing life" isn’t just about surviving or winning an argument; it’s about the moral scruples that keep us human.
If we only look out for our own, we’re just existing. Truly living takes the kind of courage you’re talking about—the courage to see the world as one neighborhood and actually act like we belong to it. Peace.
John, I really appreciated this piece. You hit on the one question most of us spend a lot of time trying to dodge by overcomplicating it: "Who is my neighbor?"
It’s easy to be a "neighbor" to the person next door who looks like us or the folks who share our politics. But you stripped away those comforts. I liked how you tracked that moral line from the old purity laws of Leviticus straight through to the "Good Alien" on the road to Jericho. It lands in a place that’s getting harder and harder to ignore these days. Being a neighbor isn't about geography or tribal loyalty; it’s a universal responsibility that includes the stranger, the environment, and even the people on the other side of a fence.
We’re seeing so much "side-stepping" right now—people rationalizing their way around basic human decency because they claim "it all depends" on the situation. Your post reminded me that "choosing life" isn’t just about surviving or winning an argument; it’s about the moral scruples that keep us human.
If we only look out for our own, we’re just existing. Truly living takes the kind of courage you’re talking about—the courage to see the world as one neighborhood and actually act like we belong to it. Peace.
Thank you for your insightful comments and contribution to the dialogue. Peace to you, John