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sacrifice

by mary lernkau

NARROW-MINDEDNESS can be a very wonderful thing, for it makes
us feel that the world is ours and is glorious and fulfilling.
Through the opaque walls of narrowness we cannot see the hungry of
the Bowery or of Africa, or the inside of a mental hospital, or the
disease in India, or the fear in Laos or Cuba. Through the hardness
of our hearts we cannot sense the agony of loneliness, or of pain, or of
lost hope for life. Through the bloatedness of our stomachs we can-
not feel the throbbing hunger pangs of a third of the world. To our
unused minds the cries of help are but beggings from stupid people
who will not help themselves. When we do use these closed minds
it is to make rationalizations about the narrowness of ourselves.
Thoughts come quickly about helping ourselves to be perfect before
we can possibly help others. Often thoughts are concerned with the
feeling that we cannot do anything for anyone until he does some-
thing for himself. Often, too, we think of how many other people
there are to help those who are in need.

Yes, we are narrow. And we are selfish. We-who are never real-
ly hungry, who let our government run our country, who let our
social agencies carry the full burden of our needy people-we are.
selfish and narrow, for we fail miserably in our duties and obligations,
which should be rights that we should be proud to hold and prouder
to fulfill.

Many articles have been written on the subject of the 1929 de-
pression and the world wars. It is said that if the United States had
looked at Europe in 1929, seen her depression, and helped her out of
it, the United States could have avoided her own depression. This is
a fact that we find difficult to accept-we would rather shut it out of
our thoughts. But it is there, and it should be reason enough for
helping our neighbors who need help.

But it is not reason enough. This, too, brings our selfishness to
the surface. Why, when we do help, must we always do it for our own
ends? Why can't we help other people in other countries just be-
cause they need help? Because we have hungry and homeless people
here to think about? No. Most of us try to avoid thinking even about
our own people, but, even so, theoretically, every person in the United
States who needs and wants help can secure it from one social agency

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