What, in God's name, are we doing?
WHAT, IN GOD'S NAME, ARE WE DOING?
by Monica Benderman
Late last August, barely a month after my husband was sent to prison for filing a Conscientious Objector application, we all watched as history was made. Hurricane Katrina roared into view, and America sat watching its story develop on the evening news.
A storm was brewing - and weather forecasters followed its path as it wound its way through the Atlantic and into the Gulf of Mexico. We saw computer images of projected paths. We watched as we were forewarned of the potential danger. Those with money, transportation and the wisdom of past experiences, gathered their loved ones, their belongings and left the danger areas. Others stayed in their homes preparing for the worst, hoping for the best, and believing that somehow a higher power would save them. Still others, those who didn't have the means nor the experiences to guide them, simply continued their lives, trusting in their faith in others and themselves to see through the worst.
Government leaders did what government leaders do; held conference calls, sent emails, discussed possibilities and passed the buck. When the rains came, confident that enough meetings had been held to ward off any sense of guilt for not being attentive enough, leaders went on with their lives, thousands of miles from danger and thousands of perspectives away from what it truly means to live as working class citizens in these "great" United States.
In the days that followed, millions watched as first the levees intended to protect a city shakily started to crumble and break and then as water poured over the top. In amazement we all saw the power of nature. How is it that anyone can still believe that we are in control?
What, in God's name, are we doing, America?
In this UNITED States -
Democrats are embroiled in heated political debates with Republicans - and the debates go nowhere. Why? Because this is an election year, and getting constituents' votes seems far more important than taking a stand to do the right thing, to protect moral values and to remember HUMANITY. Does anyone remember humanity?
Military families who have all lost loved ones in this war are traveling around this country in RV's, caught in confrontational exchanges with each other over who is speaking for whom? Why would you have to debate - surely you remember the middle ground? Someone you care about has given their life in this war. How you honor them is up to you. The fact is - you are so fiercely divided because of WAR. If there had never been a war, you would never have been in a position to bury your child, your husband, your father - without the pain that this war has brought, this division would not have become so hostile. Why did we let it get to the point of WAR, maybe because we really don't want to do the work to understand peace?
In religious meeting places across this country, people meet to pray and hear sermons pronouncing the lessons of their "one God," the ONLY God. Missionaries are sent to patrol neighborhoods and spread the word that the religion they are talking is the only one that can save us all, and if we don't convert we will be damned to hell. Yet these same religions claim to profess the teachings of peaceful warriors - Jesus and Mohammed and others like them. Houses are divided as followers shout that theirs is the only way, and in the process seem to lose sight of the Way.
Anti-War activists stand across roadways from those who oppose them and believe in military intervention. Banners fly and accusations are shouted as people march on capitol steps, in front of missions, across sidewalks and over barriers declaring that it is "their right for the taxes they pay." But everyone pays taxes - so what about the rights of those who disagree? And RESPECT - whatever happened to respect - for others, but also for ourselves?
On hundreds of college campuses student activists are demanding their rights to speak out at political speeches, at the same time demanding that military recruiters be barred from their school grounds. Whatever happened to promoting truth in selling, and freedom of choice? Demand that the military sell themselves honestly, and give all students the right to decide how they will live their lives, no one, not even a pacifist, has the right to choose the path another takes.
Across the world the citizens of other countries watch bemused, frustrated, angry and unsure of an outcome, as grown men and women who have somehow risen to positions of public leadership roles act like siblings in an oversized family, squabbling to be the one to get their parents' attention; not noticing amid the cacopheny of rhetoric that their screeching is going nowhere, their parent has better things to do.
We are pro-abortion, anti-abortion; pro-war, anti-war; liberal, conservative; christian, muslim, jew; we are black, white, and brown; we are gay, lesbian and heterosexual; we are educated, some by schools of "higher learning" and many more by life; we are a country at war but the war in Iraq is only a catalyst. We are citizens of states in America - but we are far from united.
Late last August, as my husband went to prison for declaring himself a Conscientious Objector to war, a storm roared into the view of our radar screens. It was a storm that had been circling for years. It was a storm of a magnitude never before seen in this country, or the world for that matter. This storm had been predicted for years. Those with the wisdom of their experiences wrote about what they saw and urged that our country prepare. As the winds and rains of this storm developed and its path became more clear, those who knew what was coming prepared their families and secured what was valuable to them. The storm is drawing closer, and there are still many who are just beginning to see the light. Many more will simply run inside to pray, believing that their savior will be back to save them.
Look at what we have been shown by Katrina. Those who were prepared far in advance suffered the least. Those who believed in the government learned that bureaucracy is not to be counted on when real needs must be met. Those in government positions are simply people with a job to do. Whether that job gets done is another story. For those who trusted in prayer and believed that someone would save them, perhaps they learned the hardest lesson of all - few people are truly good to their word, and God gives us tools, but He expects us to do the work.
A child without discipline, without an understanding of the steps needed to be prepared for what may come is a child who becomes lost. In this country, we have watched ourselves become lost as the lessons of childhood were sacrificed for the illusion of success, and a belief that we deserved to have it all on credit - and leave the tab for the next generation.
A conscientious objector stands on principle, not just against a military war, but against chaos - and disruption - against the loosening of moral principles that demand self-discipline and that we "pay as we go." A conscientious objector respects himself, and in doing so respects others. A conscientious objector looks ahead and knows that to have Peace in our future, we must begin by disciplining ourselves today.
Being a pacifist does not mean simply not carrying a gun, and fighting a war to defend our freedom does little good when the soldiers return to a country divided.
The one thing everyone seems to have in common is their belief that what they are doing is fighting for Peace. Maybe Peace would get here faster if we would all simply just stop fighting.
