Easter has come and passed, which means many will soon ditch the floral dresses, abandon sacrifice, misplace their Bibles and reprioritize the importance of church attendance for some of the more pressing needs of daily life.
Every spring, millions of Christians gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and for some, to sacrifice something of their own in obedience and faith.
The 40-day period of Lent and the Easter holiday reminds many of the importance of love, family, sacrifice and charity. Of course there are the extra bonuses, chocolate bunnies, Easter egg hunts and the promise of summer, but generally Easter is a time of compassion and goodness.
Images of Jesus and the Easter bunny – and the greater benevolence they encompass--will soon become distant thoughts. Finals, end-of-the-term papers and the concern over grades will soon consume each college student’s life.
However, there’s something Christians and non-Christians alike can remember now that the Easter season has passed.
Love, kindness and generosity do not vanish with Easter for another year. Certainly the reminder to embrace these virtues is not constantly present, but the qualities nevertheless still exist.
What would it be like if we spent time with family 365 days a year? What would it be like if every day we sacrificed something for someone else? What would it be like it we tried to be more loving daily?
Now don’t get me wrong – in no way, shape or form do I believe the whole world will sit, hold hands and sing “Kumbaya.” While that image is certainly ideal, it is not realistic. Not every person, to the dismay of my bleeding liberal heart, believes in these ideals.
But if the nearly 2.1 billion of the world’s Christians can practice these ideals for 40 days, what’s another 345? Unquestionably, there are people who don’t consider themselves Christian who also believe in these principles.
Perhaps this argument seems simplistic. Maybe it’s been done a thousand times before. Quite possibly it’s unrealistic. With the latest U.S. Census data showing nearly half of Americans in poverty, don't you think that there may be some validity to it?
Online Education, a database for students, reports that 113 babies are born into poverty every minute and nine people are infected with AIDS and HIV every minute. This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are thousands of injustices and cruelties transpiring every day.
These issues cannot wait till Christmas or the next time we’re reminded of goodness. These people do not have the luxury to pause until Jesus or Santa reminds us to love, give and sacrifice.
Easter has passed, but the season for true goodwill is just beginning.
Contact the columnist at eeeaton@asu.edu.
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