Physical Disasters vs. Other Disasters

Despite the horrific disaster at the Boston Marathon this year, we have to be impressed by those who responded with kindness, courage, and care to their neighbors. No one has labeled them as liberals or conservatives, of a particular religious persuasion, or philosophical outlook; they were just people helping other people in distress. It is a time when we can feel proud of each other.

 Not knowing the “enemy” is this case does not seem important. Standing together and supporting each other is our focus with few exceptions.

This stands in contrast to James Alison’s statement commonly affirmed, “Give people a common enemy, and you will give them a common identity. Deprived them of an enemy and you will deprive them of the crutch by which they know who they are.”

Pogo (Walt Kelly) was wiser when he said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

But as of yet we have not determined the enemy of this atrocity and yet we have seen heroism by common folk meeting each other’s immediate needs. It crises like these it seems to me we rise above our normal human nature of needing a common enemy to unite us and the divine moves us to our ideal humanity.

Then I wonder why can we not respond in similar ways over other crises in our country such as the economic crises, which sees middle class folk one paycheck away from ruination? I see its partner crises that have developed a government economic system that favors a tiny minority over the wellbeing of the vast majority. And I see it in spiritual crises of religious groups that act with hatred toward one another instead of the teaching of love and harmony.

But I do catch glimpses of better perspectives. I am currently reading another of Brian McLaren’s books, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and Mohammed Cross the Road…? It is a positive book that lifts us up and uplifts the wise teachings of these religions and their leaders and their positive influence upon humankind. It helps balance me after reading Hacker and Pierson’s Winner Take All Politics.

So, as I look outside and still see ice floes glide down the Mississippi and look at my golf course that looks like a disaster zone in this strange spring we get together with our friends, share a meal, enjoy each other’s company, commiserate over our miseries and celebrate our joys and life goes on.

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not over come it. ~ John 1.5