A Shocking Lack of Compassion
Thomas J. Osborne (Orange County Voices, Dec. 15) discusses the European disdain for our attitude toward the less fortunate as being cruel. In France, people are willing to pay taxes so that all may have good health care; in America, we want to avoid taxes so that affluent individuals have more “things” and devil take the hindmost.
The French are correct; they are more compassionate than we are. In fact, we are less compassionate in all areas than we were when I was young, which I find to be shocking.
Something yet more shocking occurred in the midst of the character flap during the last presidential campaign: Even though a number of passages in the Bible make it abundantly clear that compassion toward the less fortunate is the premier quality in Christians, not one politically active Christian leader mentioned compassion as being even a mildly important character trait, let alone being the premier one. I wonder why?
Why are we less compassionate than Europe? Why are we less compassionate than we used to be? Good questions for the season.
JUANITA MATASSA
Santa Ana
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
