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'Mountains of fear' prevent positive change from happen |
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By Kathy Tomlin
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Wednesday, 12 August 2009 |
There are certainly a lot of challenges before us. Health care reform, racial profiling, a renewed effort toward immigration reform. And, oh, let’s not forget what kind of beer might be served.
Faith and Justice
Kathy Tomlin
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Did you ever notice that when it gets really hot in the kitchen, we can easily distract ourselves with the most unimportant questions? Sometimes we have a hard time reflecting on why it is so hot in the kitchen, let alone coming to any consensus on the solutions that might cool things down.
As I reflect on the issues staring us in the face, I see mountains of
fear keeping us from change. There is, after all, a fair amount of
agreement that our health care “system” is broken, our immigration
system is broken, and despite strides to the contrary, racism keeps us
a broken national family.
What is this fear all about?
» Those with health care fear losing it.
» Those without health care fear foreclosure.
» Employers fear they can’t possibly keep up with the costs of providing this benefit.
» Employees fear they can’t keep up with premiums and co-pays.
» Hospitals and physicians fear reimbursement rates won’t be adequate.
» Health plans and pharmaceutical companies fear competition from public plans.
» Legislators fear we can’t pay for it.
» Taxpayers fear increased tax burdens.
» Some people fear those who don’t look like themselves.
» Older civil rights activists fear we are brushing the importance of race aside.
» New civil rights leaders fear we are using old paradigms to talk about this issue.
» The police fear being accused of racial profiling.
» People of color fear being accused just because of the color of their skin.
» Some fear people not born in this country.
» Employees fear losing their jobs to immigrant labor.
» Immigrants fear being sent back to a country empty of promise.
New thinking
There is more than enough fear to go around! What if, instead, we
flipped the whole framework and talked about the common good and the
social dimension to loving one’s neighbor?
Of course, change is scary. However, staying with broken systems while
freely admitting the systems are broken is way more problematic.
What if we could transcend our narrow self-interests and seek solutions
that would create the greatest good for the most people? We know that
the decisions we make about these important issues directly affect
human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community.
As a nation, as a society, we can ill afford to stay stuck in our
fears. Lest these fears choke the life out of us, we need to have the
courage to work though them. It takes courage to admit the fear and be
willing to work through it.
Each of us really does have a responsibility to contribute to the
common good. As Pope John Paul II wrote, “We are all really responsible
for all.”
Kathy Tomlin is director of the Catholic Charities Office for Social Justice.
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