But first, a word of wisdom from Bucky Katt:
So I've read three thought-provoking books lately. The first was Into the Nevernight by Anne DeGraaf. The second, Exile, by Richard North Patterson. The third, by the same guy, Balance of Power.
Into the Nevernight concerned the situation in Africa, particularly Sudan and the areas surrounding, more particularly refugees, including the Lost Boys. (BTW, this is by no means a review, just thoughts). We like to think we are in control of our lives, safe, able to better our lot in life, etc. It's easy to forget many millions around the world are caught up in conflicts which they cannot avoid or solve. How do you help a kid, who, at the age of ten, was handed an AK and forced to kill the enemy? What kind of scars does that create? Sure, you can dump a bunch of food on the situation and work towards solving the physical need, but the emotional and spiritual? How do you answer the kind of questions those kids would ask, if they got up the courage to do so?
It seems somehow noble, in my mindset, even heroic, to go help these desperate people. Then I look around me, and realize there are needy people even here. Can I open my eyes and ears and really see people, then serve them? Not so glamorous, but equally needed.
Exile dealt with the Middle East conflict. The whole debate over what Israel and the Palestinians should do is so emotionally driven that it's difficult to see the issues clearly. My perspective has been primarily pro-Israeli, though I was never blind to the fact that they aren't perfect. The book delved a little more into the Palestinian perspective, telling a story, which of course helped open my eyes a little.
Israel has a democratic government, which, with all of their parties, doesn't seem to work all that well. But it is entitled to the title of 'government' and 'nation' given what it does for its people. The Palestinian organizations (the PA, Fatah, Hamas, etc) have been unsuccessful in establishing control and infrastructure. Admittedly, they have a difficult task on their hands. If the Palestinians want a country, they should focus less on a tract of land than on working together to create community and self-sufficiency.
Of course, they propagate the story that their land was stolen from them, and in a very real sense, that is true. Instead of accepting the fact, almost sixty years later now, many continue to live in temporary locations. So they would like to think. But none of the Arab nations want them, and Israel can't afford to open the gates to the large percentage of ordinary folks and the small, but deadly, group of 'soldiers' that would come with them. What country opens its doors to people who vow to push them into the sea?
There is no easy solution here. To win this battle, a mind-war must first cease. The lies told to young Palestinian children must stop. Israelis need to be rid of their fear. If they can see each other as people, each suffering continually from this conflict, each feeling the victim, then we might begin to see some real progress.
Balance of Power deals with guns in America and also with lobbies. I was rather surprised by the number of gun deaths we have each year in the States, but I suppose it is so ordinary that it most often doesn't make the news. In a perhaps typically male mindset I thought it was cool when the government didn't renew the assault weapons ban a few years back. But the damage which high-capacity automatic weapons and 'people killer' bullets far outweights whatever, "Wow, that was cool!" reaction a guy often has when seeing such a gun shot at a target. And the number of accidental deaths caused by people not properly locking up their guns? Sheer stupidity!
And as for lobbies? The government, especially elected officials, ought to be the ones with the decision-making power, not whoever donated the most to their last campaign or makes the best promises for their future. Government shouldn't be all about survival and hanging onto position and power. It should be about representing the values of the people that put you there.
I make no claim to be a philosopher or even a particularly good thinker, as doubtless this brief demonstration shows. Each of these issues are complicated by so many ifs, ands, and buts. What is my part in the drama? How can I make the world around me a little more just, a little more caring, a little more like the world God wanted it to be?
The comic is dedicated to those who refuse to believe in absolute truth, believe that every perspective has equal validity, that there's a little truth in everything. Just cause someone said it don't make it true my friend! Just cause it sounded good don't mean it was right! Grant us eyes to see and ears to hear...
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