Having “things” has become more important than caring about other people.

I have been thinking a lot about how far we, as a people, have moved away from any practical sense of the common good; of compassionate caring for people — even our neighbors.

Below is part of a recent news story that is like a mirror reflecting our true values: Greed is not only good, it is first priority. Things are more important than people. It appears that the unfettered ability to make, manipulate, manage and accumulate money is the moral compass for the majority of voting Americans.

“A Black Friday shopper who collapsed at a West Virginia shopping center — and later died — went virtually unnoticed by others racing to snatch up early-bird sales.

“Walter Vance, 61, of Logan County, W.Va., was shopping for Christmas decorations around 12:15 a.m. at a Target in South Charleston, W.Va., when he got sick and fell to floor, local news station WSAZ reported. Witnesses said shoppers continued walking around the store, some even stepping over the man’s body.

“An emergency room nurse who was among those shopping eventually found Vance and began administering CPR. She was assisted by an off-duty paramedic who was also at the store. An ambulance was called and Vance was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died, the news station reported.”

Ignoring, even stepping over (on?) the poor, the homeless, the unemployed, the sick and dying people of our land to “reduce taxes,” or “to reduce the deficit” is not about good government; it is about malignant greed that attacks the ethical and moral core of human dignity.

This is not a contrast between the 1 percent and the 99 percent. The people who were stepping over and ignoring Walter on the floor were the 99-percent folks. No 1-percent person would be stampeding a store at midnight for bargains on waffle irons; however, they would be there for a good IPO or a nice derivative investment opportunity.

Not everyone ignored Walter; two people who were not too busy to help were professional health care workers. They represent the minority of folks who see people in need and do something to help. Thank God for them.

We cannot hide from the spotlight that reveals what we really hold dear: how we, as individuals and as a nation, treat each other, especially the least of these — the unemployed, poor, sick and dying, our brothers and sisters, children of God.

If this were a sermon, I would call for individual and national repentance, repudiation and rejection of material value over human value. Instead, I will urge and pray that we use our lives, our liberty and our will to seek the common good for 100 percent of humanity.

The Rev. Dr. Steve Crowson is rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Lewiston.