Life

Life.

What a great way to kick off a discussion regarding the rights of every American. What does it mean to be guaranteed the right to life? Today, this topic can trigger a passionate and volatile argument revolving around the debate of what constitutes a life and when life actually begins. We're going to bypass this conversation because both opinions are well-noted and chronicled. Also, embryonic argumentation is not what the Founders were writing about, so I won't use this platform to comment on this particular matter.

For me, the concept of life extends way beyond the day we are born, anyway.

Life encompasses our entire existence. It's filled with our desires and emotions. Life surpasses the alternating rhythm of inhaling and exhaling. To truly be alive means we do more than measure and record our pulse; we raise it. When the Declaration of Independence states we have the right to life, it implies we should actually get busy living. Living becomes a verb because it is an activity and not a sedentary state of being. But I view life as more than an extreme soft drink commercial.

The right to life needs to include a proper understanding and standard of an acceptable 'quality' of life. If our obligation to one another extended only to the day of our birth, then we are misunderstanding this fundamental right to live. We also need to consider that our right to live means we have the right to a life that has value. Living constitutes our basic needs of shelter, food, protection, education, and the opportunity to earn a sustainable, living wage. The right to life encompasses the whole of life and the dignity that should accompany each aspect.

Through this grid, life becomes more holistic because all the components for self-sufficiency are present. Part of the American dream is the hope that we can take care of ourselves. I'm not campaigning for handouts or programs that deplete the financial resources of the government in order to give things to people. I'm simply suggesting there are times when we need to consider the needs of others and ask ourselves if there are things we can do to help improve the situation. Not because we have to, but because every person should have the right to a life of dignity.

Helping the homeless merge back into society as contributing members means we remember they have a right to life that transcends breathing. The situations leading to homelessness are as numerous and specific as the person they are attached to. While it is absolutely true there are people who are homeless because of poor and even criminal decisions they have made, the majority of homeless people in Kalispell were rendered homeless by forces outside their control. Their lives have changed through no fault of their own.

It is our desire to put people back into positions where they can succeed. We want our residents to find employment and explore all the avenues available to other Americans. We believe life encompasses legacy and our hope is that each person at Samaritan House will be able to find permanent housing and remember what it means to truly live.