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Thoughts on an historic day for the United States



We seem to be nation that is dividing. Red States vs. Blue States.
Republicans vs. Democrats. Insured vs. Uninsured or Underinsured. Perhaps
this isn't as negative a thing as some are predicting. Don't organisms grow
through the process of their cells dividing?



Yesterday President Barack Obama signed into law a health care reform bill.
Getting something done about health care had been on the agenda of
presidents back a hundred years. Depending on which news source one listened
to or read, this was either a great day in U.S. history or the beginning of
the end of life as we've known it in the States. Some states are already
threatening to bring a law suit against the Federal Government. Texas, the
state in which I reside, is one of them.



This grieves me greatly. Whether we agree or disagree with the details of
the bill, it saddens me that we've become a nation of sore losers. What
happened to our sense of sportsmanship? What happened to the idea of free
speech for all? How can we ever justify throwing bricks and barbs at those
who hold an opinion differing from our own? How can any one be so absolutely
sure that they, and they alone, hold the self-evident truth?



Yet, I do not dispair. I realize no good deed goes unpunished. Trying to
insure the rest of us have health insurance coverage seems to me a good
deed. I know no social change worth making was accomplished without great
effort--too often up to and including the loss of life. I pray no lives will
be lost by senseless violence by those who didn't get their way. I rejoice
that perhaps fewer lives will be lost needlessly now that more health
insurance is available to more people.



Change is a funny concept. Even the very word "change" is a controversial
one these days thanks to the campaign slogan of the current President.
Sometimes we long for some changes. When we're children we want to be
teenagers. When we've arrived at adolescence we want to be adults. When
we're young adults we want to be older adults. Somewhere around the 40 to
50 year time frame we want to stop the advance of years and revert back to
the ages we couldn't wait to grow through.



When we're bored with--pick an item--any item--our job, or car, our home,
our family--we want change. We want to trade in the old one for a more
exciting new one. But let someone else impose a change that wasn't our idea,
and we're all about stopping the changes. "Don't they dare build that in my
neighborhood!" "You can't tell me what to do" becomes the battle cry of
those who object to social changes ranging from wearing seat belts and
helmits to restricting where smokers may smoke.



We seem to like change when the change was our idea and we benefit from it.
We dread and block changes that were someone else's idea and won't directly
benefit us. Or at least, we don't see how the change will ultimately benefit
us.



Well , it was indeed an historic day. The signing of the bill was
accomplished with much fanfare and high fiving among those got it done. And
much derision and protesting--and me thinks not a small amount of sour
graping--on the part of those who had tried to block it. And are still
trying to do so.



The future remains an unknown mystery. But for this moment in time, here's
to your good health--all of you who will now have coverage or who can extend
your coverage under your parents' plans, and to you small business owners
who can more readily afford to include some level of health insurance
coverage for your employees.



America, here's to our collective health. May we keep focused on the
principles on which we founded this great nation--equal justice for all of
us--the pursuit of happiness for all of us--equal opportunities for all of
us. We don't have to agree. We can't possibly agree on every issue. Perhaps
we could agree to disagree with a bit more civility and charity towards
those with whom we disagree. That might improve everyone's overall health.



This too shall pass. And when it does, may our children and grandchildren be
proud of how we participated in the process.



Cheers.



Start wherever you are. Use whatever you have. Do whatever you can.



Kathy Haueisen

March 24, 2010



Posted by Kathy Haueisen Cashen at 3/24/2010 6:36 PM
Categories: uncategorized
 

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