I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Blessed New Year.
I pray for health, healing, and peace for the world.
Lord, have mercy on us and please bless us this year!
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Category: Cultural and Political
Peace on Earth. Is This Really Ever Attainable?
In the last month, I’ve been listening, once again, to podcasts by a dear archpriest who reposed a few years ago. He had several years of podcasts before his repose, and I listened to every one of them and am going through many of them again. His name was/is Fr. Tom Hopko.
I found epiphanies, discoveries, spiritual nourishment, and comfort in his talks.
Last week, I caught one of his talks he had done near Christmastime. He brought up the well-known saying I’ve heard all my life: Peace on Earth and good will toward men.
The first time I listened to his unpacking of that meaning was probably about 10 years ago. And anytime I read anything spiritually-centered, whether through the Scriptures or through books on the Saints, I will pick up different aspects of the verses or things said than I did in the past.
This was so for the meaning of peace on Earth and good will toward men.
This “Peace” is Christ, not the actual meaning of peace all over the Earth.
Fr. Tom explained that peace and good will is supposed to take place in the hearts of every person. They find peace through Peace = Christ. And Him only.
Because I’m one that is against wars and imperialism and the pursuing of power and money, I had been perceiving peace as an outward ability to tangibly have peace in the world through ending wars and people working through their problems diplomatically globally and through discourse within our communities.
So when I listened to what Father was saying, things clicked inside of me. Ah, I got what he meant.
Of course, I know and have known since being a practicing Orthodox Christian, that this world is broken and fallen, and there never can be real peace in this world. There cannot be any type of utopian place on Earth.
What I’ve noticed is when people are striving for that here on Earth, we may forget that the total harmony of humanity, the peace between all life, etc. is only in His Kingdom, and in that life afterward if we are blessed and through God’s mercy, we someday go there.
Pondering all that was said in that podcast, there was the thought that, well, peace within a person or many persons can bring about some peace because when one is in Christ and finds peace in Him, they emit peace toward others.
So, I have seen this in the Saints.
However, I don’t think it’s wide spread, especially in today’s spiritually dark climate.
But we can still work toward finding peace through Christ and trying to acquire it. The Holy Spirit within us helps us toward these spiritual pursuits.
Knowing this different perspective on peace, I see it as just a shifted view of what peace means. In a way, it’s a relief to me because, oddly enough, I think one striving to find this peace in and through Christ within our relationship with Him may be a much more attainable goal than “world peace”.
I say this may be “easier”, but it still feels like quite a mountain to climb. But it’s a good thing to pursue, and so I will continue to do so, no matter how many times I fail.
After all, life is about falling down and getting back up. He who endures to the end is saved, as Christ Himself says in Matthew’s Gospel.
And as Mother Gavrilia said, it’s the effort that counts.
I wish there was a way to permanently stamp those words into my brain. To remember it and have it before me always.
Everyone wants to live in peace, and knowing what that means and Who it is, I believe, helps guide us on the right path toward it.
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U.S. Housing Wages Numbers… Say What??!
I was listening to a young woman’s podcast I sometimes catch, and there was a portion of her show where she was talking about today’s minimum wages and the cost of the average two bedroom apartments in each state.
First off, what is the minimum wage in each state, you may be asking?
Well, of course, they vary in each state.
So I’ll throw out a few states with their minimum wages.
THEN I’ll share the average median income of 50% of households in their area, and finally the minimum amount of income you must make in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment in said state. These are all 2023 numbers.
I’m going to start with my state:
Colorado:
Minimum Wage: $13.65/hour
Median Income of 50% of Households: $1,452/month
Income in Order to Afford a 2-Bedroom Apartment (Fair Market): $32.13/hour
New Jersey:
Minimum Wage: $14.13/hour
Median Income of 50% of Households: $1,545/month
Income in Order to Afford a 2-Bedroom Apartment (Fair Market): $33.50/hour
Louisiana:
Minimum Wage: $7.25/hour
Median Income of 50% of Households: $945/month
Income in Order to Afford a 2-Bedroom Apartment (Fair Market): $19.39/hour
Texas:
Minimum Wage: $7.25/hour
Median Income of 50% of Households: $1,150/month
Income in Order to Afford a 2-Bedroom Apartment(Fair Market): $25.06/hour
Washington State:
Minimum Wage: $15.74/hour
Median Income of 50% of Households: $1,486/month
Income in Order to Afford a 2-Bedroom Apartment (Fair Market): $36.33/hour
New York:
Minimum Wage: $14.20/hour
Median Income of 50% of Households: $1,331/month
Income in Order to Afford a 2-Bedroom Apartment (Fair Market): $40.08/hour
Pennsylvania:
Minimum Wage: $7.25/hour
Median Income of 50% of Households: $1,255/month
Income in Order to Afford a 2-Bedroom Apartment (Fair Market): $23.61/hour
Missouri:
Minimum Wage: $12.00/hour
Median Income of 50% of Households: $1,140/month
Income in Order to Afford a 2-Bedroom Apartment (Fair Market): $18.54/hour
California:
Minimum Wage: $15.50/hour
Median Income of 50% of Households: $1,429/month
Income in Order to Afford a 2-Bedroom Apartment (Fair Market): $42.25/hour
You can read all the states’ information here.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t make anything near $32/hour here in Colorado. Most jobs I’ve looked at since I’ve job searched from 2021 to present day don’t offer anything close to that amount. The most I’ve seen, at least in my field (well, my old field of office work) was around $20/hour.
Considering most individuals don’t make the amount needed to afford a decent two-bedroom apartment, how do they eat, pay utilities, and perhaps pay a car loan or student loan in addition to that?
I realize from reading several years ago that wages have stagnated since the mid-1970s and haven’t kept up with the cost of living. But I didn’t realize it was THIS BAD.
Do you remember when Bernie Sanders was running for president and was advocating for a $15/hour minimum wage? Although, that was across the board and didn’t account for each state having different minimum wages and costs of living.
I recall a few years back, pulitzer prize winning journalist Chris Hedges saying truly the average minimum wage should be more like $22/hour. That seems more on point for many of the more medium to expensive states.
In any case, I know the couple of decades I have left to work, I’ll never be making what is expected and those expected incomes will likely go up in the subsequent years. When do costs ever go down?
In my opinion, this is horrible and not right. Because wages haven’t been keeping up with cost of living, so many people can’t afford to ever buy a house on their own. Meaning, in order to survive in this terrible economy, a multitude of people/family members must live together with multiple incomes to pay the rent and utilities of an apartment. I know this from firsthand experience, as that’s what the situation is in my family.
So, what are your thoughts on this? Are you one of the few lucky people to be able to afford to live in a house, have a high income, or are you somewhere in between? Maybe you’re struggling like most of us. Share your thoughts. Thanks!
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Works cited:
“Out of Reach 2023: The High Cost of Housing.” National Low Income Housing Coalition, June 14, 2023.
Modest Musings 