I know we shouldn't have center our faith in the world and its people. This "fun fact" was especially reiterated to me as I wrote the last post- "Wretched World". But this morning, I prayed that God would encourage me, and help me understand where the light was in this world. I don't believe I stumbled upon this video by chance.
Where In The Hell Is Matt 2008 - Watch more free videos
I haven't posted in a while..partially because I haven't had much to say, but also because I don't think many people really read this blog. That reasoning of course, points out the true reason why this blogs exist- wanting others to worship me.
But what stirred me out of blogging hibernation was a story a friend of mine sent me about something she experienced recently. It made me think. It may make you think. So read on..
Subject: P's weekendSo I read it. And it made me sad. So I began to write her back...but I started to think that perhaps this would be best if I shared what I was going to say to her, with all (use that term loosely) of you. So here ya go-
Disclaimer: Story from my weekend. Feel free to delete if you’re not interested. Also, feel free to respond as long as you’re not responding with your opinion on this war. That is NOT what this is about.
My Saturday night:
We hear a lot about the war. Everyone has their opinions on this war. I do believe that you can be against the war and still support the troops but this weekend I experienced a conversation that I found totally repulsive. And that feeling has stuck to me. I sat at a dinner party with a former US Marine who had served in Iraq . We were discussing all the things he experienced; just little stuff like the spiders, the heat and things of that nature. He told us a few things that I found very compelling; very touching human stories. He started by telling us about how things changed during the course of his time in Iraq . He recalled a time when he first got there and he accidently glanced at a woman for a split second. Women are not to be acknowledged and because he did so haphazardly glance toward her she was beaten in front of him because it was her fault that she had been acknowledged. He stood there not being able to do anything about it. Later, once women were given rights, he could intervene in that type of situation.
As the conversation continued he was talking about how the “enemy” did not engage in ethical warfare. He experienced having an injured individual surrender. Because he was injured they are required to render aid. So he tells another “Go cuff him so we can take him to a hospital. He is shot.” The other Marine goes to cuff him and the “surrendered” pulls a grenade killing them both.
The most compelling moment was him telling about people aiming at them with car bombs. They shoot once to tell the driver to stop and then they shoot to kill. Realizing that they do this, the driver would include his family in the car in order to cause hesitation in the Marine. He says, “I can see them through my scope. I can see a man driving full force at us and I can see his wife and kids screaming in the car. What do I do? Do I kill a family or do I let them blow us all up? What do I do?”
Later I was talking with another dinner guest who overheard this conversation. He says, “I couldn’t stand listening to that Marine talk all heroic about the war.” And I literally became sick to my stomach. Here there is this guy who was there, lived it, saw it first hand and was talking about his life experiences; very profound life experiences. This other guy was so self-righteous in his anti-war stance that he couldn’t even understand the value of such a human experience. He had no respect for this man who went over there and laid his life on the line day after day, had to deal with gut-wrenching moral dilemmas, and watched his friends get blown up before his eyes. Not to mention the lasting mental/emotional effects that would have on a person.
I really could not believe my ears that someone who probably sits behind a desk with a computer and AC all day could speak with such complete and total disdain in their voice regarding someone who had the guts to serve their country. I was completely disgusted. Despite my sarcasm I am generally all roses and sunshine in my outlook on life. But ever since then all I can think is how terrible this world is and how wretched we all really are.
P-
Its very unfortunate that that happened. People can be very close minded about a topic like this. It seems that an increasing majority of people form their views on limited research and the propoganda they're fed because they aren't willing to do the work needed to make a educated and well thought out point. So in an attempt to feel important, they formulate these one-sided opinions and spread them without a care in the world. And they are willing to degrade others who accept what they think or feel the same way.But the real reason I replied back was what you said in the last two sentences of your story:
"Despite my sarcasm I am generally all roses and sunshine in my outlook on life. But ever since then all I can think is how terrible this world is and how wretched we all really are."
There was an article (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080621/ap_on_re_us/out_of_control) I read recently about how American's are depressed and anxious about various issues going on. Fires, floods, war, famine, our economy, and gas prices have resulted in tremendous worry and a general feeling of helplessness.Though your story focuses on the moral issues of the war, your conclusion is focused on the state of our country and the mood of its people. Perhaps all these opinions can be traced to a general sense of hopelessnes that Americans have. Afterall, we are probably the first generation that has to deal with the thought that US isn't as powerful and prosperous as it once was. And we're seeing evidence of that each day. We're also the first group that have seen the tremendous properity of the last two decades- so the last years have been like a constant punch in the gut. But History has taught us that every great civilization falters- I guess no one ever really discusses the psychological turmoil that people can experience when their civilization begins to fall.
And I think I'm kind of replying because your story was a little encouraging- in a weird way. Not that I am happy that you are discouraged- but because I am not alone in feeling this way. In fact, this morning, from the time I woke up till I read your email, I had been dwelling on worries about life- from the very issues about my future in this economy, to personal anxiety about my life's issues. I was even thinking about how nice it would be to go back to the 80s and early 90s when I didn't have any of these thoughts!
But I when I get this way, I have to remind myself that this anxiety is here because I am allowing myself to look at the situation as a non-believer would. (I still haven't quite mastered not doing that.) What I mean is that as a non-believer, you don't have security in why you're here now, or where you're going afterwards. (Trust me, if people say they don't believe in God, its because they're convicted by the sin they've committed thus far a don't know about grace, or they've pondered the tremedous changes their life would have to undergo by recognizing God's existence and simply don't want to.) So as a non-believer, you might see these issues with great worry and feel like you have no control over the coming days.
But in contrast- as a believer, you can cope with these issues by reminding yourself there is life after this world, and that all the negativity in the world are explained by sin. Something the Bible clearly describes and even fortells.
Anyways, this has been more of a ramble than anything...but I'm glad you sent me that story...it inspired me to process somethings that I've been struggling with and remind myself about how I should approach discouraging issues.
