Mr. Decker’s Blog

Change… It’s the buzz-watchword on the political scene… CHANGE we can believe in. Well, if it comes down to a vote - count me in. However, perhaps we are merely voting for a change - instead of being willing to work for it, as well.

I am sincerely hopeful that the new surge of interest in things, political will truly usher in a modern day of activism. However, I am most hopeful that the American people will become active within their own communities in more concrete ways than in simple support for a candidate. For instance - many ‘pro-lifers’ vote a certain way - then proceed to passively ignore the needy lives in the nearby shelters or community centers - right in their own neighborhoods. If I am truly pro-life - that means I must be pro-unborn life, pro-teenage life, pro-homeless person life, pro-Iraqi life… and I also need to do more than just vote on my beliefs.

We desperately need HOPE again in our culture. I recently asked a round of our Teen 12-Step members what they were hopeful for… and, none had an answer. So, in my mind, if we as Americans can find leadership that inspires hope once again, then, we dare not lose the opportunity. Consider what one politician with a passion for hope and justice can achieve in a nation. Recall the night of April 4, 1968 when Robert Kennedy got the news of the assasination of Martin Luther King, Jr. He was on a campaign stop in Indiana… about to speak to a largely African American audience who had not yet learned of the tragedy. His calm, peaceful plea to love and to not hate, touched the hearts of all in that audience - and cascaded into the hearts of his countymen everywhere in the nation… Who knows what violence and revenge were avoided then, by one man’s heartfelt rhetoric?

Maybe we now can seize a new chance to dream of better things again. We know the issues that plague us… what we also know is this - they will go unsolved unless hearts are turned from apathy to hope. That goes for Washington DC, as well as the playground on Washington Street in your hometown. Vote for it… with your feet… with a life choice, not just a voting booth voice. Scatter some hope around, and see what grows. Yes, we can. All of us.

Jesus said that “life” should flow out of his children… Why then do we try and suck life from empty sources? Drink deep from the true water of life - and then, spill out some hope. Let it run in your street. Let it flow into homes where sad people live. Hope springs eternal… and it’s right up there with love. I like to hear those kind of truths being talked about again. It’s been a long time since 1968… and our nation sure looks the worse for the wear. I see it in our children’s empty eyes. And, I hope for better things.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at 5:45 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.