The Bible passage translated variously as “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,’ is well known and frequently cited. And while I personally am not well qualified to opine on what this means, it seems pretty obvious. To be on the safe side, I will quote a source, which states:
Scripture calls us to love one another and care for each other as Jesus would love and care. In all circumstances, the response of God’s people should be according to His Word in the Bible. We are called to show the love of God to everyone, including “the least of these.”
Though not framed as such, it is about solidarity.
In Noam Chomsky’s 2018 book Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of the Concentration of Wealth and Power, he writes about the attack on solidarity. Those who would deprive us democracy and self-determination, he writes, tell us that we are only supposed to care about ourselves, not other people. But if we are convinced we shouldn’t stand together, that we shouldn’t pool our resources, that we shouldn’t care for each other, it becomes very difficult to stand up to those who always have a very clear understanding of their own self-interest.
Chomsky writes about the attacks on Social Security as an evil socialistic scheme. But Social Security, he says, is “based on the concept of solidarity…caring for other people…’I pay payroll taxes so that the widow across the town can get something to live on.’” He writes about the attacks on public education which frequently take the form of trying to convince people who don’t have kids in school that they shouldn’t have to contribute. Viscous attacks on single-payer health care policy usually take the form of convincing people that health care for others doesn’t matter. And finally, slashing the size of government is a key way to attack solidarity as “the government does, to the extent that Democracy functions, carry out actions in the interests of and determined by the population.”
From day one, Donald Trump has attempted to separate Americans from any sense of solidarity with each other and with other human beings wherever they might live. He has attempted to convince us that we should live in an Hobbesian world in which we are always at war with each other, where we never stand together.
Deep cuts to foreign aid are creating devastation in poorer areas of the world. A lack of interest in what makes so many people in other countries want to seek a better life in America is the polar opposite of what solidarity means. This trains us to be uncaring and isolated from humanity. Cutting so many of the government programs that help Americans live their best lives, separate us from each other and our common existence. Eviscerating international trade deals is intended to reinforce the idea that we are in no way part of an international, rules-based, community. Denying military aid to countries under threat by bad actors is more evidence that caring for others is unimportant.
The bottom line is that without solidarity there is no resistance. Without caring for the least among us, without caring for each other in the most important ways, to paraphrase Martin Niemoller, when they come for us, there will be no one left to care.
;
