I remember and resonate with my professor, mentor, colleague, and friend the Rev. Dr. Tex Sample when he said, “I want to be a pacifist. I haven’t hit anyone in years, but I still want to, so I know I have not arrived yet.” I cannot ever remember thinking violence or war was the answer to violence, conflict, or war. In my mind, war, violence, an eye for an eye mentality is nothing more than a failure of humanity’s ability to be humane. I too long to be a pacifist, though I am probably more in line with President Jimmy Carter’s comment, “War can be a necessary evil, but it is always evil.”
I find myself in that conundrum again this morning as I ruminate on the most recent military action by our current administration in Syria. I find myself in a conundrum because I long for the day we humans can find a better way to resolve our conflicts than killing each other. The missile strike was a response to that country’s atrocity of dropping chemical weapons killing men, women, and children. The images from Syria are horrific and heart wrenching. While I whole heartedly agree something needed to be done in response, either by we the United States, or preferably the whole world community, I have some questions this morning as I recall our President’s comments last evening as well as news reports that are emerging today.
While I understand this is what appears to have been a limited and strategic action with, hopefully, a minimum of human lives lost, which I hope was the intent, I am troubled. I am troubled by an administration, on the one hand, who promotes the closing of our borders by banning refugees from countries like Syria and building walls to keep refugees out of our country from the south as they flee cruel and horrific governments and violence. And on the other hand our President cites the killing of men, women, and children by the countries from which they would wish to flee, as reason for a military strike on that country. I’m sorry, you can’t have it both ways. If our administration is as compassionate as they wish to appear, then open our borders to the refugees who are in need of sanctuary, don’t feign compassion by dropping bombs on them, when their countries commit atrocities against those who long for safety and refuge!
I have other questions I am still ruminating on, as well as those that seem to be finding traction, such as around political strategy, contact with Russia, or even Syria prior to the strike, that might cause some to suspect that rather than this being a strategic response to atrocity, that the strike might be seen as a political smoke screen and attempt to take the heat off current investigations of our administration, but I acknowledge that thought, to date, is simply speculation.
Mostly I am troubled by our powers-that-be who continue to put forth an agenda of policy lacking compassion and then citing compassion as reason for a military operation. I pray this might truly be a changed administration and perhaps this atrocity was a turning point in realizing who we as a nation claim to be. However, at this point I am not holding my breath, I have seen no convincing evidence to make me think the administration has suddenly changed course. I guess we will have to see what comes to be.
In the meantime, my voice, my work, my action will continue to be used to hold our leaders accountable to the justice, compassion, and humility for all… ALL to which I believe we as a nation, as a world are called to be. I pray you will join me. May it be so. May it be soon!
Kent
LittleRev's Blog 