THE FINAL PAGE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     The little boy's name is Calvin. Of course, he's only
a comic strip character, and his best friend, Hobbs, is
actually only a stuffed tiger who becomes very life-like 
in Calvin's imagination. Its the only comic I read with
regularity. I, for one, do not think that Bart Simpson 
holds a candle to Calvin, in entertainment value; in wit; 
or in educational value (yes, Calvin actually gives me
some worthwhile things to think about).

     Last week there was another Calvin strip that got me
thinking. Calvin is hunched over an ant hill, talking to
the ants. He says, "Hey ant, you're working like a maniac
and what have you got to show for it?" In the next scene, 
Calvin continues: "What's the colony done for you lately? 
What about your needs?" Then Calvin throws up his arms and 
exclaims, "You don't owe anybody anything! Let the others 
fend for themselves! Move out! Discover yourself! Express
your individuality!" In the final scene, Calvin 
confidently places his hands on his hips, smiles in a
self-satisfied way, and explains, "If they listen, this 
will solve our ant problem."

     Many today exemplify the attitudes Calvin was trying 
to instill in the ants. Rugged independence, lack of
consideration for others, and a "what's in it for me?" 
attitude. Many of the heroes in films, TV and books are 
those who break the rules and flaunt their "independence." 
"I gotta be me!" It is not a good thing that interest in 
the common good is trashed in favor of an obsessive
interest in the individual. Frivolous lawsuits abound and
people are rewarded huge sums for suffering the
consequences of their own foolishness or crimes. Greed
drives up costs for everybody, but that's O.K. as long as
I get mine!

    And, of course, respect for God and His word do not 
fit in very well with prevalent ideas of "doin' everything
my way." No sir! Forget it! 

Things are not better this way. Such selfishness 
and greed are contemptible. They 
deserve no place in the hearts of God's people! Such 
attitudes are in complete opposition to what Jesus taught 
concerning our relationships with God and man (Matthew
22:37-39). The church is a body with individual members
working together for a common purpose. No one who lives by
faith seeks independence from God, His Will or our
responsibilities to one another as human beings.

      There was a time, during the early days of our
nation, when a family of settlers would move into a locale
that others would all join together and have a
"house-raising." The house would go up quickly and
everyone would enjoy themselves in a spirit of
interdependence. Much of that has been lost on us, and we
are not stronger for it, nor are we better off. Perhaps we
need to re-evaluate our heroes. Maybe "Natural Born
Killers" are not as deserving of hero status as so many
evidently think they are.

      Calvin was right... if the ants listen to him, the
ant problem will soon be over.

Jon Quinn
JWQuinn@AOL
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Plan now to download the August edition.