When you get right down to it, we, the people who inhabit this continent now, and who benefit from its riches, are nothing more than accidents of history. Our predecessors came here out of a variety of needs, escaping religious discrimination, drought, or other horrors, and when they arrived here, they found a safe haven.
In the meantime we all have benefited.
Today, as the richest people on earth, we face a truly moral dilemma. Is the accident of history that placed us here a God-given right?
I think not.
I think that who we truly are, and what we ought to do next, is better represented by looking at the world at large.
The world at large is still a very poor place. Over half of the people on this planet do not have cell phones, laptops, or even enough food to eat.
Yet we are all of the same substance. Rich or poor, we are all made of the same stuff. Who is rich or poor today is not a matter or merit but of history that none of us living had anything to do with, one way or the other.
Probably the better sides of all of us would like to even this out. How can we do that?
That is the main question facing us, morally, not all of these silly political divisions in America. It is not about Obama. It is not about Gingrich. To pretend the choice is socialism or corporate welfare is specious.
Much more is at stake. It's a much larger debate. I just wish that we could get that started.
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