We read of soldiers returning from battle who suffer from PTSD. Now, there is speculation that a soldier who listens to the stories of returning comrades, with the intention of his listening providing a measure of comfort, has himself gone on a rampage of killing. It will be some time before the details are clear, and the actual motive or reason for Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's horrific meltdown may never be known. Was it the stories he had listened to for the past six years? Was it his own fear of being deployed? Was it a personality disorder or mental condition, pushed over the edge? And, rightly or wrongly, the question is being asked of the possible connections between his actions and his religious convictions.
There is another question that needs to be asked: How much longer can the world sustain the violence of war? This is the deeper - and more critical issue - one that deserves very serious consideration. This is not about who has handguns and who doesn't. It is about the stress of violence that all of us are paying a price for.
To put it another way: It is not just the soldier; it is not just the soldier's family; it is not just the innocent civilian in the wrong place at the wrong time who becomes "collateral damage"; it's all of us. We are increasingly a society - a world - living with the immediate reality of post traumatic stress disorder. The violence the soldier experiences first hand becomes part of the national and global psyche. The stories are not about "them". Increasingly, the stories are about "us" - ALL of us. It is almost as if every action - going to school in the morning, going to the shopping center, going to work, going to church - every action is a game of Russian Roulette. Are you safe on the subway? the highway? in the cereal isle?
That President Obama has recently taken time to consider both the mission in Afghanistan as well as the method best suited to carry out that mission is a sign of hope. Whether one agrees with the politics of the president or not, the fact is that we had best be as clear as we possibly can before we subject the world to the stories that will inevitably darken the soul of us all.
I recently read about a church whose congregants are attempting to be multi-cultural / racial. The article spoke of the frustration and the pain that is part of the process. One line stands out that describes both the faith and the tenacity required of the people engaged in this church: "We would rather be together than be comfortable."
I've heard that line before; but it seems particularly apropos in this day. Is there a correlation between the continued obsession with war and the fact that not only are we in danger in the midst of our "enemies"; we are in danger when among our "friends"?
If ever we are going to be "comfortable", we are going to have to be safe together. "Loose the chains of injustice," cries the prophet Isaiah; "Set the oppressed free!" (Isaiah 58.) The challenge arises, I suppose, in identifying who is oppressed and who is oppressing; but oppression begets oppressors.
This is a sad day for our nation; but unless something fundamental changes in how we view the world, it's a day that is bound to be repeated over and over again. If we want to be loosed from the direct and residual violence of war we are going to have to make a commitment that states clearly: We would rather be together than be comfortable. Then - and only then - will we be safe.
I think the world has been experiencing the pain and violence of war forever. It is unfortunate but war has been the way empires were expanded and peoples with different beliefs attempted to settle their differences.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great if we (USA) could stop being the worlds police force and try to be the worlds peacemakers. We won't ever end violence with more violence.
How or if this man was affected by the stories he heard we'll never know. Was he afraid to go, did he think he could stop more violence by not letting these folks go to war, or was he affected by the horror stories he heard about what was happening to other Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan and seeking revenge??
The worst part of this is it sounds like there were plenty of warning signs that were over looked. I think this and the attack at West Virginia could have been prevented if someone would have listened. I know it's easy to look back at see what could have or should have been done. We need to be more aware of others and their needs.
Pastor Mark - Thank you for expressing your thoughts. Everything you are saying seems so...right. So how do we get people on the national stage to read yours and CJ's blogs??
ReplyDeletecatskilldreamer - I totally agree that we need to be more aware of others and their needs. Your ending comments remind me of something I read in "Stepping Lightly," a book about simple living. The author, Mark Burch, was discussing how consumerism has caused economic thinking to distort reality, such as with the belief that money provides security. Burch said, "[t]he real security human beings can enjoy in this life is defined by personal health, rich community and family relationships, and intact and healthy ecosystems." Our communities (local, national, and world) would be much more secure if we paid attention to each other.