World War Three - A World Away
July 16, 2006
We’ve been keeping track of the situation in the Middle East this past week and watching with despairing eyes as the death toll continues to climb. We have strong personal feelings about the situation and what should happen, but mostly we are saddened by the violent turn of events recently.
Rather than going to church this morning, we missed our alarm and ended up watching ‘Meet the Press.’ They were discussing the possibility of World War Three. While we, particularly Adam who has recently spent time in Palestine, feel very strongly about the people in that region, as well as the politics, it is hard for this war to feel like the beginning of World War Three. It is, afterall, half a world away.
Yet, I was thinking about the situation while reading for my CPE (clinical pastoral education) unit and I was struck by the concept of a web of life. The pastoral care reading was contrasting webs of life with webs of violence, but it got me thinking about how interconnected we all are . . . not only because missiles and bombs can reach us anywhere, but also because every action we take has consequences far bigger than we can begin to imagine. It’s in the whole line of when a butterfly flaps its wings in Atlanta, it rains in China.
I thought of the people protesting the war outside the farmers market here and realized they make a difference. I thought of our struggle to recycle everything and buy responsibly and remembered that those things make a difference. It’s hard to see how such small acts impact such immense violence across the world, but I think every bit of responsible, loving living has its consequences. Perhaps one day we will be able to see all the small things overwhelm the violence we see so frequently now.
Posted in faith by Sarah
fatima said:
July 28th, 2006 at 12:19 am
I saw the cruel post your husband did and it was very sad to see.
Both sides are suffering and both sides are in pain.
Do you just buy into his view? I am shocked as a Unitarian by the mean spiritedness of his comments.
I have traveled to Israel, the people there are afraid and have lived with constant war and killing the like of which Americans can never know.
As an Israeli Muslim I have to say, I am shocked by the post I read, I had thought the US was against the extreamist ideas of Hizbollah.
They are not good for anyone, and I hope with all my heart they are sent back to Iran as soon as possible.
In anycase, your hair looks great, and best of luck to you in your studies.
And good luck with your husband, I hope he grows up~!