1.08.2007

A Higher Purpose is Better Than Hating

It strikes me as odd that some are so self-righteous in their crusades to make the lives of poor immigrant Latinos even more difficult. I've had a number of such persons write in to let me know where they stand. I actually do read what they write because I feel that I owe them that much--after all, they're reading what I write.

These people lists the laws that are being broken (usually just those broken by the immigrants) , and they reference the Bible (usually passages from the Old Testament), and/or they make claims (usually inaccurate) about how today's immigrants are so different than those of the past. What's interesting is that if you engage some of these folks in a conversation, they sometimes start to soften their positions. It's hard to be so absolutist when you're talking about people you know. But then a thunderbolt of anger hits them and again they're ranting on about the terrible things that should be done to millions of immigrants.

It seems that things would be so much better if we all backed off a bit. We should never act on our worst fears, hate or out of some sense of entitlement. So let's pause before we say or do something which denies someone else's humanity.

Really what we all need is to work towards a higher purpose. Kicking the poor is not what life should be about. For those of you interested in finding your higher purpose check out Rick Warrens' The Purpose Driven Life.

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