Why Stop There?

I read this on facebook this past week:

” [facebook user] believes that no one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick. If you agree, please post this as your status for the rest of the day”

I keep thinking about this philosophy – and I finally decided, why stop with health care?  How about “I believe that no one should have to work at a demeaning job.  No one should have to suffer a broken heart.  No one should have to have to suffer through a natural disaster and there should be someone else to do the clean-up if said disaster has the nerve to go ahead and happen.  No one should ever have to die in an accident.”

I could go on and on, but the point is – life happens.  We don’t like many of the things that happen.  People die all the time for all sorts of stupid reasons – what makes us think there should be any guarantees?  Most of the world doesn’t even have access to the health care and plentiful food and clean water that Americans take for granted.  People in America go broke all the time because they can’t resist the “buy now, pay later (or never)” path.  Why is a health crisis an exemption from living within your means and planning for the future?  People have plenty of money for cable t.v., the latest video or dvd, the second or third car, the house that takes all the monthly income.  But then they “don’t have enough money for health insurance”.

Ultimately, why do we all think we should be exempted from the consequences of our own actions??

I’m not advocating leaving people to suffer.  If you know someone who is dying because they can’t afford health care, do something.  Organize a fund-raiser, dip into your own savings, make phone calls to find out what programs might be available to provide some assistance.  Ultimately, the best source of help for someone who needs a hand are the people around – the ones who understand the needs and have a personal interest in that person.  America is full of compassionate people who, per capita, give more in charitable dollars than any other country in the world.  (see msn article 2006 and Anton news 2009)

I don’t believe there are guarantees in this life – just opportunities to reach out and make a personal difference.  We don’t need government to do this, and indeed, we miss out on most of the great joys in life when we sit back and let someone else do what we could do.  In a recent issue of BYU Magazine there is an article by Arthur C. Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute.  In it he states:  “I am here to tell you, having looked at the data, that the day the government takes over for you in your private charity is the day we get poorer, unhappier, and unhealthier.  We must demand to take our place as givers and support the communities and people who need the services we can provide”.  It’s a great article, by the way.

I’ve flown afar from my original complaint, but the point is, the quoted axiom from facebook is naive and unthinking.  Life is full of unpleasant twists and turns.  There are no guarantees that we will be saved from them.  Even if we could, what would we be missing out on?  And we certainly shouldn’t be expecting something like government to shield us from life.  It’s not a government’s job.  And it wouldn’t be doing us any favors if it tried.  We are grown-ups — we should act like it!