Misplaced Passion

   Another Black Friday has come and gone. The infamous day in which department stores and one stop shops are in the profit margin for the year and give deals for the holiday shoppers. Every year this day seems to get more out of control than the year before, its human behavior at its finest. This year saw shootings, stabbings and assaults by overzealous shoppers. We live in a society where people will trample others for a piece of plastic made in China without a second thought. Greediness, and selfish materialism fuel the flames, "civilized society" is all a perception. American businesses brings in millions of dollars on this day counting on large crowds that never fail. People will camp outside stores for weeks in order to get a deal on a television and fights break out over who got there first. People buy just to buy and forget that it's not really a deal if you don't have the money to begin with. The behavior of people on Black Friday tells me one thing, it tells me that passion is not dead but definitely misplaced. If only we would attend church with this much passion. If only we would put this much interest in our government and becoming informed voters. America has turned into an entitlement paradise. It seems we are only interested in ourselves. What can I have? What can you do for me and my family? If only we would create jobs with this much passion maybe the our unemployment rate wouldn't be at a 16%. What can we do to get the public interested in community and education instead of a sale at Walmart? It is truly amazing how many people will get up early on a cold winter morning and wait outside for hours to save $20.00. Then there are the ones who aren't shopping at all but shop-lifting. Stores lose a ton of money every year to retail theft and pickpocketing, two problems facing stores with crowds often standing shoulder to shoulder for hours. What are our priorities as a country? I understand people get excited about Christmas and enjoy trading gifts but we can not let this overshadow the meaning of Christmas. Its a problem when we spend more time shopping than we do with our families. Lets remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.
-BDB (Google Images)