Political Opinion: Madison, Wisconsin

Do you remember when the surgeon general’s warning on cigarette packs began? “Caution: Cigarette Smoking May be Hazardous to Your Health” premiered in 1966. Yet, I can recall long before then how we teenagers in the late 1950s and early 1960s used to refer to cigarettes as “cancer sticks” and “coffin nails.” The point is it wasn’t a secret. So, why did we insist on indulging in the practice of smoking in the face of information that illustrated the obvious dangers? Probably the same reason people indulge today even though faced with incredible, overwhelming information regarding the dangers of heart disease, cancer, addiction, cost, insurance risk, and all the ancillary consequences ad infinitum. There is an inclination for people to have a “don’t confuse me with the facts” attitude when the “facts” tend to be contradictory to the narrow point of view preferred. Consequently it is not unusual for smokers to use as arguments in a discussion with anti-smokers the same unreasonable jive they lay down on themselves about how the dangers of smoking are either overblown, invented by rabid anti-smoking zealots, or just doesn’t apply to themselves because of their special metabolism or that their uncle Willie smoked for 75 years and died at 97 years old of a car accident. Essentially, no amount of rational and logical argument will make any difference at all.

Fast forward to television news lately in Madison, Wisconsin. You can substitute any state with public sector unions but the data are clear. There is a high correlation coefficient between states with public sector unions and state debt. There is a prodigious body of data available but an article in The WashingtonExaminer.com (April 3, 2010) captures the trend with this commentary: “The states with the highest per-capita debt all have something in common: Robust public-sector unions that have, over the years, cut sweetheart deals with politicians -- usually, but not always, Democrats.” Yet, out front on the protest lines, making noise about how evil it is to deny the public sector the “right” to collective bargaining are the public school teachers. This is the same crowd that won’t live up to their contract to “teach” the children in their care to read to a standard competitive with Europeans, Japanese, Chinese, you-name-it. Nevertheless, these people believe it should be their collective right (although rights accrue to individuals, not to groups) to have seated opposite them at the bargaining table, their own advocate with the check-writer and bill-payer having none. This is akin to John McEnroe showing up for every match with no opposing player and he gets to waltz off with every trophy and every purse -- hardly sporting, but worse . . . unfair and not wise. It appears to me these folks yelling obscenities and sporting signs that compare their governor to Adolf Hitler are a lot like smokers who just cannot abide the facts because they’re simply inconvenient to self-aggrandizement. Essentially, no amount of rational and logical argument will make any difference at all.

Beyond Denial

My stepfather was an alcoholic. Not a “problem drinker” – not a “tippler” – not a “bar fly.” He was a bona fide alcoholic and died of the disease at age 56. He was addicted to the substance of alcohol and he never mustered the motivation sufficient enough to conquer the thing that took his life --- at least 25 years ahead of time, not to mention his miserable quality of life for at least 30 years of his brief time here. Therapists and counselors of all stripes will tell you that the very first step in beating any dependence is to admit the addiction and commit to recovery. The tabloids and news channels are rife with stories of myriad celebrities who have demonstrated failure upon failure after submitting (usually directed) to rehab programs. This is precisely akin to our human addiction to sin. If we don’t recognize the prospect that we are sinners, lost without hope we will ultimately die in our sinful condition (John 8:24). No matter how much or how forcefully we reject the unpleasant truth, it cannot be avoided indefinitely (Num. 32:33).

It is a curious characteristic of the human race that we are prone to behave in such a manner that we employ an unconscious defense mechanism used to reduce anxiety by refusal to accept thoughts, feelings, or facts that are consciously intolerable. This is known as denial. The human consciousness seemingly cannot live with guilt. We will either find a way to blame someone or something else for it or we will gnaw on it until it transforms us into neurotic basket cases leading eventually to insanity or suicide or first one then the other. The cultivation of an addiction, particularly to alcohol, is one of the ways of coping with the gnawing process.

Most simply stated, we are, by our fallen nature, addicted to sin, and since we won’t deal with it we usually try to find a way to mitigate its consequences. For a while we thought we could handle it, for there is pleasure in sin for a season (Heb. 11:25), but now it is the master and we are the servant. Sin weighs us down like a millstone around the neck in deep water (Mt 18:6). But Jesus says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Mt 11:28-30) Do yourself a great favor. Take a moment to conduct a brief mental inventory. Are you struggling with yourself? Are you longing to be at peace in your mind and in your heart? You can trust just one name to give you relief. Psychiatrists can attempt to help you with your mental struggles; charities of all kinds can feed, shelter and clothe you; community job training centers can help you with finding work; doctors can mend your broken bones; support groups can help you deal with losing weight, being single or discovering your musical talent. But only God can fix your sin problem and His promise, unlike all those other presenters, is a guarantee. (Rom 10:13; John 6:37). Further, once you’ve allowed Him to take care of the sin burden, you’ll be astonished how He will then help you with your other burdens. It’s true!