First, an apology to those that follow my blog. I haven't updated in a while because I've been busy working on some other writing. Most of you have heard of "Rookie," the novel I wrote in high school. These last couple of weeks I've begun the arduous process of ripping through Rookie and rewriting her almost completely. It's a daunting task, and it's been a while since I've stretched my fiction-writing legs, so as I work through that I've neglected my blog-writing duties.
That being said, there are things going on in the world today that I need to speak to. This is not meant to be a statement on politics. I'm not interested in "blame" regarding the right vs. the left and I'm not interested in economic factors. I'm not interested in debating the severity of the issues and spoiler alert: I'm going to be blunt and a little bit angry in this blog post. This isn't my norm: but I think it's called for.
There are days when I wonder if the destiny of the world is to simply blow itself up. As I read and watch the news about the shootings and bombings in Norway, I'm beside myself with the question, "What is going on in the human psyche that is leading people to believe that a bombing or a shooting is the only way to get people's attention?" Have we fallen so far and become so numb that blood shed and violence is the only way we know we still have a pulse? At what point does "peace on earth, goodwill towards men" become our reality?
I spoke about this at some length when a man went to a school board meeting and opened fire (thankfully, no one but the gunman was killed in that incident). It seems like nothing has changed, and I want things TO change. I hate opening up a newspaper or clicking onto CNN.com and reading about some other city that has its hearts and peace of mind shattered. Is it possible that this age of violence is our new reality and we just have to "get used to it?"
With every bone in my body, I hope not.
If we "get used to it" we are no longer breathing. If we "get used to it" we are no longer living creatures. We are no longer capable of the love and compassion that God calls us to. We have to get angry. We have to demand answers and we have to demand whether or not things like what happened in Norway is just our "new norm." It doesn't have to be that way. Remember a comment I've made before: the beauty of reality is that it can be changed.
I want to change this reality. Maybe you do too. Maybe you're even reading this and thinking, "You're right, but what exactly am I supposed to do about it? And what do you, Becki, oh pastor in the middle of a small town in central Illinois, propose to do about it?"
So here's what I'm going to do. First and foremost, I'm going to pray about it because I think our world is in constant need of prayer. But despite what I believe about the power of prayer, prayer by itself is not enough. When Jesus' disciples tell him in Matthew that there are hungry people who need to be sent into town to buy food for themselves, Jesus looks the disciples square in the eye and says: You give them something to eat. Prayer by itself is not enough. At some point, action is required on our part.
So I'm going to write a letter to all the people in my local government that "represent me." And I'm going to ask them what they are doing and what they recommend I do to promote world peace. And I'm going to keep writing to them until I get more than just a mail merge response. I might even make a phone call or two, because I want to know what our government is doing to educate people that there is a way to get people to listen that doesn't involve setting a timer or loading a gun.
I've already done one thing I wanted to do: blog about it. I want to raise awareness that there is a better way to get attention. I know the people in Norway or the would-be-bombers who are up and coming aren't reading my blog, but if we all took the initative to tell people there's a better way, we might realize how powerful word of mouth is. If we all posted on facebook and encouraged everyone we know to post on facebook, "Striving for peace without violence is the only way peace can occur" we might -- might -- see some kind of a chain reaction.
I have this optomism that one day the world can learn to get along. One day world leaders -- and local and national leaders -- will learn that these petty little partisan bickerings that go on are NOT the way to go. They are not striving for world peace. They are striving for more votes. Knock it off, politicians. I would think by now politicians would want to change the American people's perception that politicians are greedy and represent only themselves. My optomism is wearing thin.
I know that we can get to a better place. I know it is possible for us to achieve world peace, but it's a team effort. It takes work and cultivation. It takes everyone -- EVERYONE -- realizing that striving for world peace is not the job of higher of government alone. It's not just the job of Green Peace or the phantom people "out there." Striving for peace is the job of everyone, and it needs to be in order for it to mean anything. And in order for it to mean anything to us, it must mean everything to us. How many more people have to die in order for us to realize that killing people isn't going to solve anything?
I hope you take the time to pray for our world and for peace. I hope you ask the question, "What can I do?" and I hope you seriously think about some things -- however small -- that you can do. What's it going to take for our "never again" (Rowanda, Auschwitz, Darfur) to really mean something? What's it going to take for people like the young man in Norway -- a guy not much older than me -- to realize that the road that leads to violence is not the way to solve problems? And what's it going to take for us to really start loving each other?
I encourage discussion on this post, though I will tell you right now that if you post something politically charged, I will probably delete it. I'm not trying to be political. I'm more...thinking out loud that there must be something that I, as a child of God, can do from my small corner of the world to ensure that I at least am striving for peace. I hope you strive for peace, too.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki
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