By: Rachel Morales, Executive Director Right to Life KC, ED Inc.
A phrase often heard during the Christmas season is “Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men.” Most people understand that the word “men” refers to all mankind. But what would it actually take to achieve this goal? To truly have “Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men” would require two things: establishing and enforcing human rights for all mankind, and prioritizing the needs of others over our own.
Removing someone’s right to life in order to justify violence against them is as old as Cain and Abel. When God accepted Abel’s sacrifice but not Cain’s, Cain allowed jealousy to consume him. Instead of reflecting on his own failure to follow God’s command, Cain chose to see his brother as the problem. By convincing himself that Abel stood in the way of his acceptance, Cain stripped his brother of his right to live, believing that eliminating Abel would eliminate his problem.
This same flawed thinking has led to other historical atrocities as well, including the Holocaust, where Adolf Hitler blamed the Jewish people for Germany’s problems, and the transatlantic slave trade, in which Africans were sold by other Africans, simply because certain tribes lacked the ability to defend themselves. Although these events may seem like ancient history, this way of thinking continues to resurface today, most notably in attacks against the unborn.
Science is clear that a new human being with unique DNA is created at the moment of conception, yet our culture continues to deny this group of humans their fundamental right to life. Cain’s mindset (blaming another instead of taking responsibility for his own actions) appears not to be ancient history after all. If we truly want to achieve “Peace on Earth” in any lifetime, we must stop dehumanizing the unborn, seeing them as the problem, and sacrificing their lives simply because they are unable to protect themselves.
“Treat others the way you want to be treated” is a phrase commonly known as the Golden Rule, one we teach children to help them learn respect for others. How quickly could “Peace on Earth” be achieved if adults lived by this principle as well? Instead of asking, “What can I get out of this?” or “How does this benefit me?” we should flip the script and ask, “How can I benefit others?” or “What can I do to help or encourage those around me today?”
If we, as a culture, became more selfless, not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking about ourselves less, could we finally achieve “Peace on Earth and goodwill toward men”?