Imagine being so desperate that you’d walk hundreds of miles across deserts and through jungles to leave your homeland for a better place for your family.

Imagine knowing that when you got to where you’re going there was a pretty good chance you would be turned away, but you still did it because of how little hope is left in your homeland.

Imagine that. Really. Take some time today to concentrate for a few minutes on how that must feel. What that must be like. I realize how difficult this exercise is when you’re wound up tight in the gears of the American machine, but just try.

These are not animals. They’re not evil zombies coming over to infect the American way of life. They’re people who need help. If we could somehow focus on the real problem of how to lift up these nations that exist IN OUR BACKYARD then we solve the problem.

But we can’t even fix how we take care of each other within our borders because of capitalistic greed. We certainly have the money to do it. Just not the will. We’d rather line our pockets.

Largest military in history with no imminent threat. More money than any nation in the history of the world. But we’ve become isolated and selfish that greedy is what we are now. We used to be different.

So we send kids from church groups to these countries to bring a little light to people who lack clean drinking water, and shoes, and proper sanitation in the hopes that they’ll never have to make that treacherous trek north.

Meanwhile we retreat to our air-conditioned homes with our strong wifi and red wine from Costco to complain on social media about injustice in the world, or, conversely, to hold an open palm up to human beings desperate for a better life.

America used to be different. We are no longer a great nation and no amount of telling me to “move out if you don’t like it” will change that. We must change our hearts. We must listen to the truth there. We are better than this darkness. We always were.

My daughter and a new friend. She’s currently in Honduras doing mission work.

***

Jim

The Truth about Great Advertising Creative
The Shower

Jim Mitchem

Writer. Father to daughters. Husband. Ad man. Raised by wolves. @jmitchem on twitter. First novel, Minor King, out now.

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