Achilles Had One

A few weeks ago I mulled over my feeling of being safe in Las Vegas. The high price of gas and everything related to it is having its impact on the economy of Sin City, to be sure, but even though gambling revenues are down a bit there isn’t the same threat of financial ruin that is much more real in other parts of the country. I have realized, however, that there is one thing to which Las Vegas is not immune and that if it should ever manifest itself would bring the place down in a heartbeat: morality. Oh, please! I’m not talking Moral Majority gibberish here. I’m talking authentic morality as that which profoundly enhances the Creator-creature relationship. I’m talking the ethic of mutual reciprocity. I’m talking the worship of God rather than manna. One of the things pointed out to me early on after moving here was that there are no clocks in the casinos. Everything is intentionally designed to diffuse any sense of time when you’re inside of one so that you’ll stay and play awhile. Contrast this to Vegas’ urban legend that there are more churches per capita here than any other major city in the United States, and I think you’ll begin to understand why subscribing to the tenets of organized religion isn’t necessarily moral. If, by the grace of God, America ever becomes authentically moral by truly putting God first and the needs of others before one’s own, then it will be hasta la vista, baby…er Vegas!