A long time friend stopped me on the street last week. "Hey, N., glad to see you back. How was your trip to Virginia?" I replied that I was tired and worn out from driving over 5000 miles, the first day out my wife broke her foot in two places, drove in a blinding rainstorm from Big Spring to Weatherford, my home flooded while I was gone, I spent all my money and came home broke! "That's just great, N.," the friend said. "Sure glad you had such a terrific time. See ya."

Now you might wonder just why he bothered to ask because he surely didn't bother to listen to my answer. He really wasn't interested. He asked to make himself look good in my eyes by trying to make me think he was interested in me. That, my friends, is typical of what I found from Texas to Virginia and back again.

Most Americans, especially those 50 years and younger, are so in love with themselves that they have little, if any, time, energy or interest left for others. Not only has the Second Commandment, "Love thy neighbor as thyself," lost its relative standing, it has completely dropped out of the Top Ten of God's do's and don'ts.

What has long been on my "suspect" list has crystallized into a "for sure" after my recent trip back to the historical beginnings of these great United States of America. Yes, I have found the problem and it is US! The solution is simple but not easy: Live by God's Second Great Commandment, "Love they neighbor as thyself." After all, not only are you made in God's image but let's all remember that our neighbor is made in His image also. That means to love your neighbor is to love God, which is the First Great Commandment.

Have a good week!