What about Tomorrow?

One of my daughters and her husband are buying a house. They signed the papers just yesterday. It's an exciting time for them, a little scary too in today's economic climate. My daughter has been shopping for blinds and curtains, purchasing tile sealer, talking to the various utilities and doing the thousand and one things buying a new house entails. Rushing to the new house with the newly acquired keys in hand they met a sad sight--a broken window, a stolen garage door opener, and muddy tracks across the carpet.

Thousands of people went door-to-door collecting signatures to put a cause they believe strongly in on the ballot. They made phone calls, they donated money, they formed a huge coalition of many faiths in support of time-tested traditional marriage. The people of the state passed the measure. The losers never really lost anything except the right to push their agenda on innocent school children and to force those who morally oppose homosexual relationships to recognize a lifestyle morally repugnant to them as worthy of God's sanction. With the passage of Prop. 8, gays can still call their relationships anything they want--except marriage--they lose no civil rights, they can still hold jobs, live where they like, designate whoever they wish as their heirs, care for each other in sickness and health, own property jointly, and designate each other as having power of attorney in the event one partner is incapacitated. Still they are holding parades, blocking traffic, egging houses, seeking out activists judges to overrule the will of the majority, and being generally hateful and rude to those who stood strong for their beliefs. Yet they claim they are the ones being disrespected.

In recent years a general disrespect for both public and private property and opinions has grown. Causes have superceded faith in God. Mean-spirited spoilers are everywhere. This year's election campaigns were rife with some of the most vile accusations spilling from the fingertips of bloggers and campaigners hiding their personal agendas behind anonymity. Nearly half of the electorate opposed Barack Obama as President of the United States, yet no one is holding protest parades in objection to his legitimate win. There is a general acceptance that the will of the majority is to be accepted. Many non-supporters have taken a wait and see position, others are quietly accepting the will of the majority, and others are finding positive possibilities in an outcome they didn't choose.

Are we headed into an era where theft and vandalism will rise, even become acceptable? Are we looking at future political campaigns that are longer and meaner? Are we moving toward a climate of intolerance toward religous freedom? Is there still hope and a belief that there is more goodness than evil among us? I choose to believe there are still men and women of integrity who honestly want what is best for our country, who will put our nation and God before their personal desires, and who respect the rights of others.