HATE! GREED! FEAR!

I am certainly no psychologist but I have to confess that I do not understand the kind of HATE that seems to be rampant in this country at this time.  Has it always been there or are we just seeing it more in the open now?  What causes a man like John Boehner to hate so much that he will obstruct needed legislation in order to spend $500.00 an hour of taxpayer money to sue the President?  Is he so filled with hate that he will ignore the plight of people in this country who are struggling just to survive?  Is it hate or is it corruption or both?
Is it hate that makes a policeman shoot a little black 12 year old boy who had a toy gun?  Is it hate that makes a policeman shoot a bullet into a car windshield of a black father trying to get home to get his daughter's inhaler because she is having an asthma attack? What is driving this senseless shooting of black men and boys?  I thought we had come farther than this.
Power can be a very destructive force and I see those with power being driven by hate and rage.  It is very scary and I believe that chaos will be the result across this country as it has been in Ferguson.
Is it greed that drives people to trample one another trying to get the best deals on Black Friday?  Or is it desperation?  Is it Greed that drives men like John Boehner and Mitch McConnell to abuse their power so that they can line their pockets with huge campaign contributions?
Is it fear that drives someone like Senator Chuck Schumer to abandon his democratic values so that he can maybe keep his place in the Senate?  Is it fear of losing her support from campaign donors that someone like Susan Collins votes against the best interests of her constituents?
I am totally perplexed and concerned about where our country is heading.
Here it is the First Sunday of Advent, a time for waiting and reflecting.  In my mind it is a time to look inward and see where I am failing in my care for myself, my family and my country and then look for steps to correct these failings.  Today many people will light the first Advent candle of Hope yet how many are truly hopeful?

Honestly I am not a very prayerful person but today I would urge people to pray that this country can get back on track and that we can see that fewer and fewer people have to live in fear of being shot by a policeman who they should be able to trust, fear of being cold and hungry, fear of losing their homes, fear of not being able to access health care and fear so many other things.  I would hope that Hate, Greed and Fear can become a thing of the past and that we can be a more compassionate society.