Common Sense

What has become of common sense and decency? Perhaps it has been quarantined off with our sick and vulnerable.

Where are the days when thinkers would think, diplomats were diplomatic, and caretakers cared.

When visiting the sick and welcoming the stranger was understood as something godly and right.

I long for the days before judgment usurped mercy and suspicion overruled hope.

We must stop the unfounded blame-game and scapegoat-making that has become rampant to assuage our own guilt .

Even our young ones have grown stressed and anxious as they witness adults feeding fears and justifying poor behaviors.

Lord, teach us again how to love with our hands, speak blessings to our neighbors, and believe in the power of prayer and repent.

What, I ask, has become of common sense and decency? And how can we free these virtues from lockdown?

*Original Prose by Kerry Hasenbalg