A Tale Of Two Selfies

     Last week House Speaker Paul Ryan took this selfie of himself in front of a gathering of the Republican House interns:

     A short time later the Democratic House interns decided to congregate for a selfie of their own:

     Every picture tells a story, of course, but in this case the story is derived from looking at the two selfies side by side.  Each portrays a group of smiling, fresh-faced, idealistic-looking all-American youngsters; but one photo is a sea of white faces, while the other is filled with faces as varied as a map of the United States.   No body of research or poll could tell more about political demographics in our country than do these two photographs.  They are a study of two Americas.
     But as I looked at these  photos I realized they also told me something about myself.  About which group I’d choose, easily, to belong to.  About which America I want to be mine.   And, consequently, the basis of my own political beliefs. 
     Back in the 1960’s when I attended a Catholic girls’ high school we used to sing a song during our school Masses, the lyrics of which were  based on Psalm 133:  What a great thing it is and oh, how pleasant it will be when all God’s children live together in peace.   Looking at the photo

of these young children of God in all their Divinely-ordained diversity,

...does in fact give me the pleasant  feeling that I what I’m  seeing is a great thing, an image of the world the way it’s supposed to be. Or at least the way I wish it could be, a celebration of  God’s diversity instead of  the denial of it that we too often  see in this world and, sadly, even in our country.  And I know in my heart that it is this wish for all God’s children to be living together in peace – and equality and availed of the basic human needs each of us requires  – that ultimately drives who I vote for and why.

     And  to the mono- chromatic assembly of God’s children on the other side of the aisle,

...I say be of good cheer; for in the words of prophet Jeremiah, chapter 31, verse 17:  There is hope for your future.  As there is for all our futures.