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The Punishment

             Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. (Proverbs 17:5)

Mock: tease or laugh at in a scornful or contemptuous manner:

Contempt: the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn.

Gloat: contemplate or dwell on one's own success or another's misfortune with smugness or malignant pleasure.

I suspect that mocking others is so much a part of our life that we don’t even realize we do it. Holding others (even God) in contempt is a national pastime on the level of baseball. So is gloating over the disasters faced by those we don’t approve. Those who do so will not go unpunished, but once again, the punishment is not necessarily inflicted by someone else, or even by God. At the risk of repeating myself, it’s not magical.

          Years ago, I used anger as fuel. I found things to be angry about because when I was angry, I had the energy to work hard, even at something I didn’t particularly enjoy. It gave my mind something to focus while doing something else, particularly something boring. I became an angry person, even when I didn’t want to be angry anymore. This is what happens to someone who mocks, shows contempt, and gloats. They become more and more the sort of person who mocks, shows contempt, and gloats.

          Others either learn to avoid them or learn to respond in kind. Relationships never develop, end, or are crippled.

          And if challenged about their behavior, those who mock, show contempt, and gloat are likely to claim “it’s all in fun, no harm done” or that “they deserve it.” They’re not picking on the poor. They’re treating the stupid (intellectually poor,) immoral (morally poor,) demonstrating unacceptable behavior (aesthetically poor or lacking in etiquette), or unwoke/woke/asleep, (ethically or culturally poor.) No matter what excuse is offered, it comes back to the person lacking some currency of exchange that the mocker demands. The “rich” mocker may even claim to be doing the poor person a favor by shaming them into earning respect/wealth in some form. And the heart of the mocker atrophies. Take heed. Be careful. Be accountable. It’s not a direction we should want to go.

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