Thoughts On Easter 2023

As we approach this special time in Christianity and celebrate the resurrection of the Son Of God, I wonder whether we have forgotten the great gift we have been granted by the Almighty himself. You certainly can’t tell by the emphasis on chocolate rabbits and assorted candies. I’ve always thought the American Association of Dentists should have some responsibility in dealing with the spike in childhood cavities during this time of year (just joking, Rich).

To be honest with you, I have great friends that work in the area of Veterans Affairs who bemoan the number of advertisements that show up and offer Veterans Day or Memorial Day sales for everything from mattresses to TV’s. Those holidays are about honoring those that have and are serving on Veterans Day and those that gave their lives in defense of our liberties on Memorial Day. Our children don’t understand the difference between the two.

Don’t feel bad about that. I asked a young man visiting from Michigan with his family a “Jay Leno Man on the Street” kind of question to judge his depth of understanding of the forthcoming holiday. “What day of the week does Easter fall on this year in 2023.” He would sheepishly respond that he didn’t know and went on with his family to purchase a chocolate frosted donut at my favorite spot.

According to a Wall Street Journal-NORC Poll, Americans appear to be pulling back from those basic values that have defined our citizens for so many years. Before you ask me what NORC stands for, it is short for National Opinion Research Center and is located at the University of Chicago.

The sharp divide in the nation can be attributed to the sharply divided political parties, who are equally divided along Social issues.

The poll reported, “Some 38% of respondents said patriotism was very important to them, and 39% said religion was very important.” That was down sharply from when the Journal first asked the question in 1998 when 70% deemed patriotism to be very important and 62% said so of religion.” (NORD Poll)

You have to remember that our nation was founded on strong Judeo-Christian values, which multiple generations that have come before us have felt strongly about and have helped them endure many challenges over the years of this nation’s existence. 

How we fix this, I’m not sure, for these last four and a half years have been very difficult for our nation in many ways. George W. Bush won the narrowest of victories in 2000, which prompted Democrats to denounce his victory in the most vehement ways possible, claiming he had stolen the election outright due to his brother Jeb’s position as Governor of Florida.

The rhetoric was heated and vitriolic at best. But it remained a battle of the legal minds and within the courts and not on the streets. It was ironic that the county that played such a large role in this contentious debate was a Democratically controlled county that, until today, still suffers in producing voting totals that remain suspect as to the quality of the process and operations.

Fast forward another two decades and the election of 2020 was as heated but unfortunately resulted in our Capitol being stormed in an effort by some to derail the certification process. It will take us another twenty years to unravel the truth about this unfortunate stain on our Democratic process, for I don’t think the truth concerning this matter has been totally seen or understood.

It is clear to me that we are better than this, better than the social disarray that I’ve seen our nation slip into, as well as other nations, both friends and foes across the globe. The lack of a clear and defined future that will provide our nation with a roadmap forward worries me the most.

I don’t believe that was the plan that the man up above had in mind for us or any of His people. Humanity has so much good within it. That good shines through the darkness with every disaster, whether man made or nature made. He has given us great minds and dedicated souls to muster the strength to do the big things He expects of us.

Whether it came about in the near eradication of polio throughout the globe, the discovery of penicillin, the ability to put men and women into space, great strides in medical and surgical procedures as well as other great strides in the technologies which we see have come to rely so heavily upon today.

Let’s just think about the life expectancy in 1900 when men were looking at 46.3 years and women 48.3 years. Fast forward to 2023, and a male child born in 2023 shows a medium life expectancy of 81.6 years, and a female child can look forward to living to 86 years of age. These numbers are driven by a number of influences, such as socioeconomic factors, public health and care delivery systems and so many other dynamics. These factors are driven by us and the God-given abilities he has granted us.

I can only tell you that I still hold the strong belief that we are the greatest nation on earth, and there is much work left to be done to live up to the standards which I believe He has for us as His children. It began the day His son rolled that heavy stone away from the entry to the tomb his mortal body was taken to after his crucifixion all those many years ago.

Maybe if we took some time this Sunday to explain that story to our children, they could have a better appreciation of the holiday and not just the candy eggs and chocolate rabbits that have become the center of this very special day.