Love: True Meaning Discovered Just In Time For Christmas

It's Christmas time, and even non-Christians, such as myself, find ourselves caught up in the spirit. It isn't about being a Christian, it's about celebrating the life of Jesus, and for me, celebrating the life of a brilliant man who cared for others first.

I've had the opportunity to explore my beliefs, my country, my neighbors, my friends, and those I don't know. I've tested socialist health care systems and discovered how and why they fail. I've polled those in welfare lines as to why they are there. I've searched for answers to questions I've had, but have found only more questions along the way.

With this time of year, I'm able to reflect and relax. Upon reflecting, it's obvious that liberal policies are doomed to failure; that helping too much encourages laziness. At the same time, I've discovered that not helping is just as dangerous and harmful. Some help is required, but often we don't understand that by taking over we're not helping, we're controlling. Controlling doesn't help them in the long run; it only creates dependency. It's like drugs, people start to get away from their problems, but before long, the dependency on the drugs is the problem. In much the same way, people start taking help to assist with their problems, but before long their need for assistance and lack of desire and ability to survive without help becomes the problem.

Through it all, though, I'm left thinking back to that soldier in the welfare line, that one lonely, broken soul. He gave up everything for his deceased wife, making sure to honor her in the only way that seemed appropriate.