At what cost?
Thou shalt not bear false witness.
As I think about those words, I realize how very important they are. Each of us is called to bear true witness, to speak our truth or be silent. Right now, I'm thinking of how many people have been hurt by a lie - the manufactured "intelligence" of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. How many people have died? How many been wounded? How many now jump at sounds, with restless eyes that search the shadows?
How many people are touched by those who are directly affected by the war? Were their National Guard forces not abroad, the folks of the Gulf Coast might have had a better response to Katrina. Certainly, there would have been more doctors, nurses, engineers, sanitation experts, and bus drivers, had they not been at war. How many doctors, nurses, techs have we sent to deal with the aftermath of bombs and guns? How many communities here in the U.S. desperately need medical care?
Each of the nearly 3,000 U.S. soldiers who have so far died as a result of this lie affected others, if only their comrades. Each of them is a hole in our society that we cannot fill. Each of them had a truth that they could each witness to, but we have spent that truth on a lie. It's time to start working to rebuild what we've torn down, to bring our truths into the light, and to begin building instead of tearing down.
Tonight, I've been furious, sad, worried, and grateful for the love of my friends who are helping me to face the next few months. It's hard to know that my dad will be sent into a war zone, hard to know that his love for his country and for his fellow soldiers is being so basely used. It is hard on the families to hear news of fatalities, such as last month's terrible wave.
It's hard to hold in my heart the mixed love and sadness and anger. It's hard to pay the price for someone else's lie.
As I think about those words, I realize how very important they are. Each of us is called to bear true witness, to speak our truth or be silent. Right now, I'm thinking of how many people have been hurt by a lie - the manufactured "intelligence" of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. How many people have died? How many been wounded? How many now jump at sounds, with restless eyes that search the shadows?
How many people are touched by those who are directly affected by the war? Were their National Guard forces not abroad, the folks of the Gulf Coast might have had a better response to Katrina. Certainly, there would have been more doctors, nurses, engineers, sanitation experts, and bus drivers, had they not been at war. How many doctors, nurses, techs have we sent to deal with the aftermath of bombs and guns? How many communities here in the U.S. desperately need medical care?
Each of the nearly 3,000 U.S. soldiers who have so far died as a result of this lie affected others, if only their comrades. Each of them is a hole in our society that we cannot fill. Each of them had a truth that they could each witness to, but we have spent that truth on a lie. It's time to start working to rebuild what we've torn down, to bring our truths into the light, and to begin building instead of tearing down.
Tonight, I've been furious, sad, worried, and grateful for the love of my friends who are helping me to face the next few months. It's hard to know that my dad will be sent into a war zone, hard to know that his love for his country and for his fellow soldiers is being so basely used. It is hard on the families to hear news of fatalities, such as last month's terrible wave.
It's hard to hold in my heart the mixed love and sadness and anger. It's hard to pay the price for someone else's lie.
posted by Plain Foolish | 10:10 PM
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