Krusin' the Capitol
By Nebraska State Senator Lowen Kruse
2003
Week 4
February 1, 2003
Hello
We have lost seven astronauts. It is terribly sad, for families and for the
nation. And for all those young students who were plugged so closely into
the trip.
I have been at the computer all day and did not find out about it until I
took a break. Do not feel up to much.
We will wonder if the loss of life is worth it, and will decide it is. Which
is a powerful comment on all these "Life is sacred" statements I get in the
mail, urging me to be hateful. Human life is sacred. No doubt of it. The
earth is sacred. The colorful little bird at the feeder outside my window
has sacred worth.
What so many fail to understand is that human life is not our highest value.
Freedom is. Freedom to do, to move, to speak, to travel, to think.
If life were our highest value we would not go on space journeys. Such
journeys risk life, which we would not do for any reason.
If life is our highest value we would not drive on the roads. The roads cost
us 40,000 lives a year and we evidently consider it worth it, as I do not
hear calls to stop driving. Nor do I note individuals walking in protest of
the loss of life.
In Nebraska, it costs us about 7 lives a year to drive 75 m.p.h. instead of
70. Is that worth it? We have said so. How about a lottery at the
beginning of the year, to pick out 7 citizens to step forward? We would
sacrifice their lives on some kind of an altar and thereby gain the right to
drive faster.
A good number of Americans even consider the right to drive when the person
is alcohol impaired to be more important than the lives lost. Thankfully,
this attitude is only in the United States. However, by it we place a lesser
value on life.
If life is our highest value we would not have heroes who risk their lives in
order to protect someone from injury. If life is the highest value, it would
be immoral to risk one's life for anything.
If life is the highest value, we would not allow our young men and women to
go to war. We have had wars where they fought and died for freedom and we
have said freedom is worth the tremendous loss of life. We honor them and do
not judge them to be less moral because they did not hold life to be of
infinite value.
Life is of exceedingly high value. Which makes freedom of exceptional value.
How is it that we discount it for college students expressing their ideas,
or the elderly sick who want to end their lives, or for the confused pregnant
teenager, or for the explorer who takes on a "crazy, hopeless" venture?
Sorry for the heavy thoughts, but this is a heavy day and a time to weigh our
values.
Actually, these are highly positive thoughts. There is so much to celebrate
here. We wrestle with life and death issues precisely because we do consider
life to be sacred, of exceedingly high value. We note that in some countries
life is cheap, and in some community cultures among us life has little value.
We strive mightily against those cultures.
I trust that we will join with each other to affirm life and hold to account
those who would lead us to hold lesser values in our entertainment, our work
and our lives.
O my. Too much pastor and too little legislator. Back to bills next week.
Hang in there.
Lowen
Back to Top
Krusin the Capitol Index
Home Page
|
