Small Reminders

I’ve never thought of myself as a history person but I made it out to Andersonville today and it was a very enlightening trip. Andersonville was the site of the largest Confederate prison. It was very sobering to walk through the field and see the 15 foot walls, the small creek that served as the only water source for upwards of 30,000 prisoners of war.

Besides seeing the actual prison itself, there was also a National Cemetery with around 14,000 graves and the National POW museum.

The museum was well put together expanding from Civil War POWs to POWs from all wars America has participated in. The narrative painted by the museum was of perseverance from their captors. There was video of released POWs and their will to survive.

The thing about POWs is that they’ve done nothing wrong. Their honest men and women who are serving their country put into prison due to the circumstances they are in. There is no trial, their just held captive till they are either killed or released.

 In light of trip to Andersonville, I couldn’t help but think about the bill President Obama is about to sign. Buried within the new defense bill authorization, the US is given permission to indefinitely detain anyone. To put this in more technical terms, during war time, anyone deemed a terrorist can be detained indefinitely. This can be very broad as we have now been fighting the war on terror for 10 years now and when you create a war with vague phrases it can create unsure beginnings and ends. The same can be said with the term terrorist, an act “dangerous to human life”. These vague terms leave the possibility for anyone to go to jail on American soil without having a trial, ever.

This means people can be locked away forever as enemy combatants, and never stand the chance of a fair trial.

It reminds me of Andersonville- in the name of war- we are locking up people who may or may not have done wrong but they will sit, without trial and wait. When will we learn from the past, war is hell, war does not preclude human rights. I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately but put yourself in someone else’s shoes, picked on the street and left to sit. As a country we detest anyone else from doing so but are actively legalizing it in our own country.

The Protester

I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while but Time today has finally convinced me by declaring The Protester as the person of the year for 2011.

It started with a spark, Mohamed Bouazizi, a fruit vendor, sacrificed his own life as a sign of protest against the corrupt Tunisian government. This sparked the Arab Spring in which hopefully when all is said and done, 6 corrupt leaders will be out of office one way or another. 4 countries have achieved their goal while Syria and Bahrain are still paying dearly for their attempts at freedom. On a side note it was reported yesterday that over 5,000 people have been killed in incidents related to the protests in Syria (most killed by Assad’s army).

This brings me to America. Occupy started with a small group of folks over two months ago and quickly spread across America. I guess because folks know that I am fairly politically active, but I get asked about Occupy quite frequently.

My short answer is- I stand with Occupy.

My long answer is a little more detailed. I believe the Atlantic gets it right:

                And yet it is all too American. America has a very long history of protests that meet with excessive or violent response, most vividly recorded in the second half of the 20th century. It is a- common fantasy among people born in the years since the great protests movements -- and  even some not so great ones -- that they would have stood on the bold side of history had they been alive at the time and been called to make a choice. But the truth is that American protest  movements in real time -- and especially in their early days -- often appear controversial, politically difficult, out-of-the-mainstream, and dangerous. And they are met with fear.

When will people realize that true movements and ideas can’t be snuffed out with violence. I think many news channels and political groups are trying to write off Occupy as lazy college students, crazy homeless people or just unintelligent folks in general. Sure those demographics could make up some of Occupy but at its core, Occupy is and has a great potential to address real social inequalities that are truly facing this country.  

Those standing in Occupy’s way and trying to marginalize the movement will look back and see themselves on the wrong side of justice.

Again, Occupy isn’t perfect. They really need to articulate an ask and definitively go forward with a more clear message but as for now, I stand with Occupy. 

A Loss of Innocence

Do you remember when you lost your innocence? I do. It came in three stages for me, the first two parts happening in high school and the final stage in college. The first came as I learned that life was than a mold that I needed to fit into. I felt the depth of knowledge I was gaining through my new perspective of critical thinking. I didn’t have to accept everything that I heard. I learned to decipher and analyze information. From then on, the straight narrow box through which I saw things was blown apart.

The second part came March 19^th 2003. I was in Language Arts class when our normally scheduled class was canceled to watch the start of the Iraq War. It was night time in Bagdad as CNN’s night vision cameras displayed thousands of missiles soaring through the night sky, pouring into the city. It was surreal to see bombs look like fireworks and know that when they would land they would indiscriminately kill everything around. As we sat quietly in class watching the entertainment, I found myself sinking deeper into my chair than ever before. I was astonished at the lack of humanity. I would say this was the first time I started to develop political opinions. It just seemed wrong regardless of how much bad has been created to kill so many people.

The last bit of naiveté I had was lost in August/ September 2005. I was in my first semester of college. Katrina had hit and reports started to come in about the devastation. I remember sitting in my Peace Studies class constructing a strong argument as to how the government was going to help people affected by the hurricane. I thought I had represented the point well that day, even mentioning the fact that we even turned down help from other countries. It quickly turned out I was wrong. Day after day passed as chaos took over New Orleans temporarily, images of people on their roofs waiting to be saved dragged on day after day. We’re not saints.

Life has seemed cyclical lately, similar concepts to those I wrestled with first starting my journey are reemerging. I have recently thought back to how I got here today and can say that these three events shifted my life significantly. Taking me to place of consideration I had never been before. What has brought you here?

Giving an Experience

This summer has been a whirlwind, trip after trip, participant after participant, each person not knowing what they got themselves into but hopefully leaving with enough of an experience to alter the rest of their life. A week or two of giving and living outside a comfort zone has the potential to change everything. It seems drastic but it happens. It happened to me.

At age 16 I went to Africa for the first time. I and around 50 other random Americans followed Bruce Wilkinson to South Africa to plant gardens for two weeks. Looking back, this was some of the worst in terms of voluntourism but it was enough to hook me forever. There has been an unquenchable fire inside me for now eight years. It’s come in different forms, some more direct than other. I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t wander initially. When I say initially I would say it took me three years until I really could put the pieces together. I would like to think that I’m on a linear path going upward now but I wish I had more guidance as I wandered for a valuable three years.

I’ve learned quickly that it takes a lot more than a passion about poverty to really help folks out. Good intentions are not enough. As a result there has been a constant thirst for more knowledge and information from those leading the way. This has been my challenge. It’s been a slow uphill climb unraveling layer after layer of the causes and effects of poverty and good/bad aid to go with it. How do you convey a well rounded message to someone just starting the journey? Someone who has dipped their toe into the sweet cool stream of serving others, someone who has felt the deep joy of trying to bring heaven on earth? I’m not sure, but I promise I’m working on it.

I can tell you that it makes me excited to personally invest in folks to be the change. The movement of those actively working to eliminate poverty is growing. Be a part of the change. Together we can bring heaven on earth.

Underestimating a Healthy Lifestyle

I’ve been biting my tongue to fully engage and analyze the place that I’m in. With every major move, it takes time to grab hold and write or process with some modicum of certainty. So those posts will have to wait. Instead I am revisiting an old friend, food.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been back on my “own” and not in a heavy carb/lard diet (Rwanda). I’ve finally been able to settle into a realm of semi-healthy/sustainable eating habits. If you’re wondering about what semi-healthy/sustainable eating is… “Eat food (not food-like products). Eat less. Mostly Plants.” Michael Pollan. It’s been even more enjoyable this time around. Being in a small South Georgia town, you get your pick on local fresh produce. The local farmers market combined with the Mennonite farms and to top it all off with the amazing Koinonia Farm a few miles down the road makes healthy eating easy and quite enjoyable.

This time it has hit me with stronger convictions than before. For the first time in while, I haven’t had the food hangover, that has affected much of my life and I bet a lot of yours. Eating healthy has given my body that extra step in not wasting time working to digest mass amounts of processed foods or piles of complex proteins for meat. Our bodies are made to eat mostly plants and if we actually listen then our bodies will respond positively.

It took a few weeks for me to realize why I had this extra bounce in my step and less of a drag on my day but now that I have put the two together, I’m going to try even harder to protect my health and the environment to go along with it.

This has just done more to cement my view that we really can reach a good point of true harmony with God and nature by treating ourselves and the surrounding environment with respect.

What Donald Trump can learn from King Solomon

Donald Trump appears to be everywhere these days, hopping from CNN to The View and back to the boardroom on his show The Apprentice. It also looks like Trump is legitimately picking up steam for a presidential run being listed as frontrunner in many republican polls. I don’t feel like I can turn the channel without seeing Trump on TV nowadays. The more I have seen him though, the more I felt like he was reminding me of someone and just recently I realized that that someone is- King Solomon.

Trump has it all: millions of dollars, tons of things with his name on it, gorgeous wives, successful children and even his very own TV show. He has achieved the American dream and exceeded far beyond it. He should be happy according to the world’s standards but it appears that he isn’t. He followed all the correct steps to receive worldly bliss but something is not quite right. What else is a man to do? Run for the most powerful position an individual can achieve? Before Trump continues his vitriolic campaign, I hope he will heed some advice from someone who has been there before.

The first two chapters of Ecclesiastes tell the story of Solomon and his quest for happiness.

Ecclesiastes 2: 10-11 I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted; I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure. So all my accomplishments gave me joy; this was my reward for all my effort. Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded: “All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless –like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained from them on earth.”

Solomon concluded that his quest for everything was all meaningless but as the chapters continue, Solomon offers another way. A way of living life to the fullest and achieving a greater happiness not settled in this world but in a deeper joy, fully transcended in our life with God. Solomon speaks of the blessing of life and reminds us that the best way to celebrate this fragile gift is to delve deep in peace, love, justice and joy.

Things Go Round

I had felt a lull, that many things had already been addressed and there was no need to write anymore. For the first time in about three months I feel the urge to write. Although I am not going to be wondering through Africa, I am still wondering through this deeply fascinating time we live in. There are many things not being said right now and there are many things that I personally want to flesh out or push out into the open. More conversations need to be had. Alas...These Things Go Round!

A first taste… I have recently been comforted that I’m not alone. When I first heard the news that Bin Laden had been killed, I breathed sigh of relief for all those who have lost so much at the hands of this man. But as I watched the spontaneous celebrations unfold across the country I felt wrong.

This time was different though. I didn’t need to articulate why I feel as a Christian it is wrong to celebrate the death of an evil person, many other folks have done so already. Even the good old Vatican’s statement was full of hope,

“In the face of a man’s death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth of peace and not of hatred”

As several others have spoken up, it’s been good to feel a sense of camaraderie that I’m not alone in my convictions. It brings me hope that a greater transition to love is occurring.