Call to Ponder

There are seven sins in the world:

Wealth without work,
Pleasure without conscience,
Knowledge without character,
Commerce without morality,
Science without humanity,
Worship without sacrifice,
and, politics without principle.

Mahatma Gandhi

Cosmic Synergy around Global Concerns

Something strange is going on. I recently met authors (Jim Hodge and Linda Cooper) of a book entitled, Disturbing the Peace: The Story of Father Roy Bourgeois and the Movement to Close the School of Americas. They visited the Columbus Catholic Worker House where I volunteer some of my time. They are lovely people and their book is an interesting tale which compells you think about the world and your place in it. Below I have included information for participation in the study based on this book. All are welcome. This meeting was the first circumstance that started the ball rolling for me regarding global justice issues.

So, I meet these authors, help develop a book study and share information with other churches, organizations and friends. In the course of visiting the Quaker Friends House on campus to talk up the study, a gentleman invited us to attend a Woody Guthrie-like concert that following Saturday. The opportunity sounded fun to me with a chance to meet new people, enjoy a concert within the intimate setting and jam to some folky music. We continued our advertising tour and went to my old church Maynard Avenue United Methodist Church, and talked with Pastor Patti -she indicated that she got arrested for crossing the line at the School of the Americas and that she was very aware of Fr. Roy and would be happy to to share the book study with others.

That Saturday, I attended the concert only to find that the musician (Tom Neilson) was wearing this t-shirt:

Hmmm....

Sunday at mass, we had a visiting priest from Rwanda. He shared the need expressed there since the Genocide took place. Not even three weeks ago my friend Kristy suggested that I read a book by a woman named, Immaculee Illibagiza. She survived this very genocide by hiding with 6 other women in a bathroom. The seven women were huddled in that bathroom measuring three feet by four feet, for 91 days. They took turns standing and stretching. You can read about her book here.

What is God calling me to? I don't really believe in coincidence. Why, am I, one of the more ignorant of world affairs, being invited to focus on this now? He seems to be knocking rather loudly. Now to remain open and keep my questioning heart.

Here is the information about the book study; it starts tonight, but, you can join in anytime:

The study begins July 12 and will meet for 4 sessions--every other week at 7:00-8:30 pm at the Catholic Worker House located at 1614 Oakland Park Avenue. Participants are asked to purchase their own book online or at a local bookstore and to read the first 4 chapters before the first meeting. We also have some copies of the book on site, so contact us (614-446-8714) to make arrangements.
The following synopsis is a description from the authors who will be leading the study with us:

Examine the life of a once gung-ho Navy Lt. who, after working with war orphans in Vietnam, abandoned his military career to become a missionary among the poor in Latin America where he saw grave human rights abuses. After learning that the United States Army had trained the killers of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero and four US churchwomen, two of whom were his friends, he set out to close the US Army School of the Americas that has trained hundreds of assassins and dictators. The larger story details how the SOA peace movement grew, drawing thousands of people from every faith and walk of life, including students, veterans, religious leaders, film stars like Martin Sheen and Susan Sarandon, death penalty foe Helen Prejean, and legendary musician Pete Seeger as well as the Indigo Girls.

It’s a movement that has challenged religious and government leaders much in the tradition of Dorothy Day. The movement prompted the Pentagon to close the school, only to find it re-opened under a new name.

Dr. Paul Farmer

From Jules Wandering Weblog:

"It’s the Dr. Paul Farmer story, Mountains Beyond Mountains. Basically, it’s the true, ongoing, yet-to-be-finished story of a man whose mission in life is cure the world. The phenomenal and wonderful thing about Dokte Paul is that he plans to do this one patient at a time, until all people are healed.

Here was a man who has accomplished miracles for the desperately ill and poor. He has changed whole systems through will power, faith, and trust in the goodness and need of those with whom he was working. He did this with creativity, dynamism, and admittedly the bending and breaking of many rules. He never said something was impossible, or stupid, or unrealistic, or that the resources were not enough. In fact, Paul often stated that the problem wasn’t lack of resources but their distribution. If we all really lived as though the only nation were humanity, the problems would not only have solutions, they would be moot. Rather than thinking outside the box, Dr. Farmer had decided that the box was no longer necessary at all in order to orient himself and his work. Operating from a position of confidence, optimism, and trust, rather than from their hateful twin – cynicism – , he had and continues to transform the world."

I think Jules wrote this so beautifully that I had to copy it here. It intrigues me how she and Tracy Kidder describe this man. Doesn't it make you want to meet him? I aspire to be as bold in belief and action. To approach the world with optimism, trust and confidence-- believing that things are possible and resources are plentiful -- ultimately living in faith.

What would it be like if we lived and believed the only nation were humanity? What would we do, or not do, or put energy toward?

We are all called to social justice, the question is whether we are listening. This is one example of a real man, addressing a real need and having an impact around the world:


Regarding social justice, I often find that I am distracted by everyday activities ~too busy with this and that. Immersed in my own troubles, that I forget how fortunate I am. I lose sight of the beauty around me. I take for granted the simple things. And, forget the ache and needs of my neighbors.

Tonight I say a prayer of thanks for my life of luxury. I ask for guidance in how I can be most useful to the world. I want to make a difference. When reflecting back I want to know that my existence has meant something to my community. I want to fully utilize my gifts. I want to give my gift of time, talent and treasure (now to find the talent and treasure-- where did I put them?) I will look under the couch-- most things are there.

My Dad Might Be Right (?)

Well, I bought a paper when I was in Albuquerque - I was on a quest to purchase a Wii for my kids and needed the circulars. No luck with the Wii but I did read the Parade Magazine in the Albuquerque Journal. It's top story was titled: "Who is the World's Worst Dictator, Our Annual Top 10. I was intrigued to say the least. The article included pictures, defined what kind of atrocities the dictator was currently engaged in and also identified how the U.S.A. is linked to the country being described.

What was shocking to me was that we are giving aid and business dollars to each of these countries in some way, shape or form- very discouraging to say the least. I know there are times when you may overlook something to get what you want, but the things these dictators do cannot be overlooked- unless you are unaware. Atrocities on the list include, but are not limited to: no access to information; all government propaganda, collective punishment- 3 generations getting punished for one member's alleged crime, labor camps, firing at crowds gathered to protest, women not being able to seek medical care without a male guardian's permission, forced abortions, limiting practice of religion, public hangings, and many others.

So it is my goal to be more aware of where we purchase things from and consciously choose to boycott those countries that fall in these categories. I know there is much more we need to do to really resolve the problem, but this is the first step for me. My dad would agree that we should not buy foreign products and only support the US economy. We came to this conclusion from different angles- but it is worth mentioning that we agree on this one.

One thing we don't completely agree on is seeking out new energy resources for cars and other oil dependent products. I think we need to aggressively put dollars toward research and development to increase our options. Papa believes that there are enough oil resources (in the US) to last a long time and we need to just be willing to drill for it.

I guess I would like us to become as diversified as possible, having choices and not feeling like we "have to" compromise our values by purchasing oil or other products from these dictatorships.

By the way, the top 10 worst dictators according to the Albuquerque Journal are:
1. Kim Jong-IL North Korea
2. Omar Al-Bashir Sudan
3. Than Shwe Burma
4. King Abdullah Saudi Arabia
5. Hu Jintao China
6. Robert Mugabe Zimbabwe
7. Sayyid Ali Khamenei Iran
8. Pervez Musharraf Pakistan
9. Islam Karimov Uzbekistan
10. Isayas Afewerki Eritrea

I am going to need to get a world map out for some of these countries- never heard of Eritrea before.

So, right now, I know I can keep this list with me at the store and be more discerning about my purchases. By the way, there are many more countries that have abhorrent practices- these are just the 10 worst according to Parade magazine. If you are interested in the whole article you can access it here. It is a good read and very informative.