There have been quite a few conversations going around lately in my circle of influence. It’s an unpleasant one but of great significance, I believe. And here’s my take on it.
You see, I’d much rather a potential issue be nipped in the bud than wait for it to develop, only to slap a band-aid on it later on.
In my opinion, abortion is not right. It’s not any worse than divorce, really. They’re all sinful acts from my personal point of view. But they’re also not the root of the problem, I don’t think. Abortion, to me, is the cost being paid by the ones who did not necessarily make the wrong choices to begin with.
Unfortunately, the lack of influence on society to steer itself away from trouble early on leads to unnecessary regrets. We all need a foundation to stand on. Yet, where we fixate that foundation for the ones we care about will largely determine the course of their life.
Home! In the home is where kids should be cemented with the fundamentals. You know: Morality. Decency. Respect. Obedience. They need to have experienced these elemental ideologies as they hit school age. Otherwise, the seed of the problem will have been planted by then. And it usually goes downhill from there.
For instance, when kids who grow up witnessing their mom and dad disrespecting, distrusting and hurting each other, it robs them of opportunities to learn what love is and what powers it can unleash in their lives. Sooner or later, forgiveness can become just a foreign concept. Caring and selflessness may be reduced to being more of an abstract notion rather than actual moral convictions. Gentleness, humility, those could be thrown out the door, as well.
And when they eventually enter school and begin to develop relationships, and they grow up together through the years – guess what kind of influence they’ll have on each other? And in the world around them? Well, heck! Just think about the kind of conversation they’ll have one day during lunch break?
… “Hey, I got knocked up! I don’t know what to do.”
There are other examples but I’ll leave it to your imagination.
So, yeah, you have that. But you also have the choice to shove your beliefs down people’s throats and waive compassion. You have the choice to fly your flag of self-righteous indignation on people’s unfortunate circumstances. To take their freedom away and chain them for asking for something quite atrocious.
Such as an abortion.
In my life, I have known people who are lonely and fearful and empty. They stay that way a long time because they don’t do much about it. In the end, I have learned that sometimes, these places are a safe haven for them. These places, though unhealthy, are what’s familiar and comfortable. It’s all they know. I have learned this because I’ve been there myself. Where Heaven is a faraway land. Love and forgiveness are a foreign concept. Integrity and self-confidence are non-existent. Freedom is a scary proposition. And bravery is something you see in the movies.
Chris Alma José 