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July 2025 NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM Page 21
By William nieman
mean that all foreign assistance should be linked to the strategic interests of the United States. However, this sensible elaboration was lost in the heat generated by an opportunistic media.
What our current leaders have said is underscored by actions, most dramatically by planning to restrict the money that flows to domestic programs for the poor and indigent after already hav- ing made a significant culling of foreign assistance to some who are hungry and diseased. Those in favor of these cuts have ar- gued that our country is so far in debt that an “unfocused” and somewhat unrestricted generosity will impoverish our children and grandchildren. This is a defensible and reasonable argument. Those critical of our current political leadership’s sometimes flippant explanations argue that these cuts come from a cruel, hard-heart- edness. Given this angry public “debate”, where can we turn to acquire an accurate compass that will show how to direct the coun- try’s wealth or how we should
express our political influence? Most importantly, how should we share our most valued resource, our love?
As humans, we have two na- tures, one can be very competi- tive to the point of violence, the other cooperative to the point of submission. Our lakers on the raft were experiencing a restful balance of these two feelings be- calmed by the beauty of nature, the beauty of creation expressed by the waters and surrounding hills of Newfound Lake. Amer- icans occupying a storm-tossed metaphorical “raft” on an ocean of reciprocal vilification seem to need more than the beauty of nature to calm our complex spir- its. I have sought advice by cor- responding with respected local pastors who are known for their restrained wisdom in times of cul- tural turmoil. Not all chose to re- spond. Here are several responses that illustrate a consensus.
Reverend Stephen Rugg, Episcopal priest and Chaplain at Plymouth State University, acknowledged that people of faith “can in good conscience dis- agree over how best to prioritize care for the poor”. He continued
not matter if those in need are immigrants, or native born, doc- umented or undocumented, and of any class, race, gender, sexual- ity, national origin or faith. What matters is they are fellow human beings: bearers of the image and likeness of the Creator of us all”.
Our spiritual leaders’ insightful call for concord, for “fellow feel- ing,” led me to reflect on a hope conveyed by a past President of an unquestioned admirable char- acter and much revered by all to this day. At a time when America was being ripped apart by hatred and violence much greater than what we experience today, he an- ticipated the end to the murder- ous fighting and called upon all to refrain from more malice and to exhibit CHARITY FOR ALL.
For more than a century, his image and these words can be found near his sculpted embod- iment at a temple-like memorial in the nation’s capital. That statue of Abraham Lincoln, carved from white Georgia marble, ex- emplifying a man of patience and judiciousness, was crafted by six brothers, skilled stone artisans with the surname Piccirilli. Their father, Guiseppe, had brought the brothers’ entire family of young Italian emigrants to a recently broken country. He believed that, despite America’s recent disar- ray, its healing —a recovery not without residual infections of anger and fear —would some- day make possible the fulfillment of the promised charity and op- portunity for all, immigrants and native-born alike. That ultimately the United States would heal to be a national community of new- found love.
Newfound Love in a Heartbroken Nation
Community
Stop as you drive by Newfound Lake. Check out a raft crowded with “lakers”. They are smil- ing, perhaps laughing together, giddy, enjoying the companion- ship prompted by the refreshing natural beauty that surrounds them. Often, the floating friends have conflicting political views. A “woke” might be sitting next to a “MAGA”, but the “lake moment” transcends the differences. Go to Wellington State Park on a beau- tiful weekend. It will be crowded with people of different ethnicities and different languages. Certainly, a few will be immigrants. Again, differences will be subsumed by most bathers who watch the lift of lively waves churned up by nature or perhaps passing boats. These immersions in Newfound’s beauty provide a shared respite from the contrasting images of a conflicted society, experiencing too much fear and anger often generated by words and actions on the part of both “magas” and “wokes” as they respond to the public, sometimes intemperate, signals of our current administra- tion, an administration admired by one side, detested by the other. What are these “signals” that have been received with such conflict- ing emotions?
One extremely wealthy and influential unelected “leader” has advised us, somewhat sarcasti- cally, that “empathy will destroy Western civilization,” so we'd best go to Mars. Another, an elected leader who holds the second most powerful office in the country, tells us that love must be shared, “Or- datio Amoris”, a Latin expression that means love has a hierarchy and those distant from us get only what’s “left over.” The late Pope Francis felt compelled to respond to this ancient interpretation by affirming the equality of love for all. Others among us, perhaps not concerned about inflaming our differences, called the hierarchy of love idea “hillbilly theology”.
Another leader, one in charge of foreign policy, enraged the more “wokish” of our compatri- ots by disparaging almsgiving, ar- guing that our nation’s interaction with foreign people should never be charity. His position, a defen- sible one, was explained later to
A pensive Abraham Lincoln considers the paths of three ex-presidents and a First Lady.
that “those who question gov- ernment assistance have a valid perspective,” but adds that those who feel that way “should have a plan to enable private charities to return the assistance that has been publicly funded”. Sharing a personal spiritual insight, Steven suggested that we might be losing our concern for those in need as he expressed his hope that “our care and concern can be reborn, that we will once again find the sources of love and compassion that will overwhelm our feelings of fear”.
Father Mark Dollard, who serves as a Catholic Priest to three local churches, acknowledged that this was a difficult subject because anything said might be taken as a political statement. He then focused, with gratitude, on the response of his congregation to the call to help those in need, highlighting the work of Catholic Relief Services both locally and worldwide, including special assis- tance to churches in Africa as well as Central and Eastern Europe. Father Dollard went on to express a personal opinion that there is “a moral obligation of richer nations to care for poorer ones.”
Pastor Christopher Drew of the Holderness Community Church, who has served over 50 years as a spiritual leader, ex- pressed “horror” over the “deep divide, even among those I love and care for”. He then shared his belief that “as the world’s wealthiest nation, we can find a balance between providing assis- tance and reducing expenses... for simply cutting off aid to those in desperate need is an offense to God”. Pastor Christopher ended his thoughts with the hope that we might “find common ground and
a balance that honors our beliefs”. Dr. Linda Barnes, who serves as leader of the Unitarian Fel- lowship in Plymouth, noted that “religious communities will con- tinue to help as they can, but alone, their efforts will never be enough.” Reverend Barnes con- tinued, “Assistance to those in need is really about love.” Adding to this emotional imperative, she argued forcefully that “national efforts to reduce world hunger, re- covery from disasters, and efforts to improve health promote peace and generate goodwill to the United States.” In conclusion, she once again affirmed with emo- tion, “I stand on the side of love.” Pastor Andrew MacLeod, who is shepherd to the historic Bristol United Church of Christ, reminds his congregants that “what to do about the ‘public purse’ often changes with who is politically ascendant, but to keep in mind our responsibility does not derive from the authority of the state or of the body politic but from an- other, higher authority that directs us to assist those in need simply because they are in need’. Pastor Andrew concluded that, “ It does
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