Thursday, December 22, 2011

My Kind Of Santa


What kind of gift is better than the gift of life? That is what this Santa gave, when he found a man in a burning truck.

A former fire fighter, Brad Luddeke was in full costume, on the way to deliver toys to some needy children near Dallas, when he came upon a burning truck. He was all decked up in his Santa outfit, but that did not stop him from pulling out the driver from the burning truck just before it exploded, risking his own life in the process. And Brad did not stop at that. He then took over the duty of directing people away from the burning truck.

Only yesterday I wrote House Republicans Demonstrate Once More They are Only To Serve The 1%. While writing that article I was seething with rage—what kind of people would raise tax on 160 million people in order to save a few silvers for a few thousand super rich? It was House Speaker John Boehner and the minority leader Eric Cantor who did this disservice to this nation. The US is my adopted home, but I take pride in its institutions, and the rich culture of its tradition of giving out to the needy and downtrodden without question or consideration on the giver’s own need. I believe this tradition is continuation of the spirit of Jesus, and I feel happy that this is a Christian country.

Time and again, I have found stories, where a white person had given a kidney to a poor unfamiliar black person. Stories of people rising above and beyond their means to help strangers have humbled me to ponder on my own self, and become a better person with the effort. And every time that happens, I get one step closer to my creator, drenching my soul in humility.

Then I see a Boehner, and a Cantor, and a few self-serving politicians, and all my emotions rise up to engulf me with anger, over pouring me, all humbleness going out the window.

Then one Luddeke brings me back to my own inner peace, and my faith in humanity is restored. I feel in my heart of heart, so long there is one Brad Luddeke left in this country, the country has a future.

Merry Christmas!

First published on Technorati .