What's Really Important?

What is more important than baseball?

Today baseball fans will gather at stadiums to cheer for opposing teams. Cardinal fans and Cub fans, both fans of baseball, will gather together because of their love of the game. Some of them will be people of color, some of them will not be. Some will be democrats and some will be republicans. Some will sit in expensive suites with catered meals while others are in the bleachers with a hotdog and a bottle of water.
There will be pro-lifers and pro-choice people sitting next to each other and cheering for the same team.
There will be 2nd Amendment defenders high-fiving people in favor of restrictive gun laws.
Never Trumpers and staunch MAGA folks will hug each other in victory or console each other in defeat.
Most of this will happen without people knowing the differences they have because for the moment--for the duration of the game--those things aren't important. 
What divides fans is the color of their clothing or ballcap.

Isn't it weird how we can agree (at least for a few hours) that the things that cause such hatred and division between people are less important than cheering for our team. 

What's more important than baseball?
Pretty much everything.

So why can't we come together to provide a safe place to live for refugees that are fleeing violent or impoverished conditions? Isn't that more important than baseball?
Why can we pass a local bill to provide tax dollars for a new stadium, but can't provide a shelter for people that find themselves homeless for a season? Aren't they more important than baseball?
Why do we allow states to suppress voting rights and work against fair and free elections? Isn't democracy more important than baseball?

I get it.
We need an escape from the troubles of the day and baseball provides it. But if half of the stadium can set aside differences to cheer for the same team, and all of the stadium can agree that baseball is a grand escape from life; can't we come together for something--anything--that's truly important?

I'm as thrilled as the next guy that the Cardinals are having quite the comeback season (really it's amazing, but I'm probably not as thrilled as the next guy), but is it really that important?
Selfcare is important and we all need a place of escape. If baseball works for you--cool. But can we apply any of this to actually making a difference? 

If you've made it this far, thank you for listening to my rant.

John