InSpiritry

A convoy of American soldiers rolls into town, again. They have shelled the buildings where insurgents may be hiding. Now they will go through neighborhoods, searching house to house, guns ready, kicking in doors, hoping no one is inside. They have lost dozens of buddies to the fighting. They are terrified. Sometimes their fight returns to the streets where everyone looks like an enemy and every package an IED. Their commander reminds them that their aim is to “make Iraq safe for democracy” and to “free the Iraqi people.”

These young men are certainly facing death every day, but what about the Iraqi people who lived in those towns and houses, the citizens who did not start this war?  There is news of them today:

More Than 1,800 Iraqis Killed in August

1800 and that’s just one month! Since the war started, hundreds of thousands have died. Here’s a thought: what are the personal stories behind all those killings? We can only imagine…

Was one of them an Iraqi soldier who joined the fight to avenge the loss of his younger brother? Now two sons are dead.

 Was one of them a merchant whose favorite granddaughter was waiting for him to come? Who told her of the blast?

Was one an only child who dreamed of being the first woman girl in her family to attend university? Her dream died too.

Were three of them men who were standing in line to join up as Iraqi policemen since there were no other jobs to be had?

Were two of them teenagers who years ago played ball in the streets together before the invasion of American troops? Did they die together?

Was one a teacher who had just decided to ask his childhood sweetheart to marry him?

Were six or sixty or six hundred of them people whose hopes were for a beautiful new Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein?

And what of their mothers, those woman with workworn hands and emptied hearts? And their fathers, strong loving providers who have become distraught finding ways to keep their families safe? And what of the children huddled waiting for the violence to find them?

See, they are not so different from you or me. They once had families, jobs, birthdays, favorite songs, special talents.  Add to all this madness the thousands of American famlies who also grieve the loss of their own incredible, precious sons and daughters.

War, violence, suspicion, radicalism, militarization, destruction, hate, assault, murder, bombs, rockets, grenades, roadside bombs, torture…

These are not steps on the path to the Greater Good! These are the actions of people so afraid of being killed themselves that killing has become the only answer. Sadly, some of these people are us!

InSpiritry calls us to affirm our spiritual selves and to move forward:

• To see ourselves in community with God’s people on all sides of an issue
• To let compassion so fill our hearts that we care deeply about people we don’t even know
• To find creative ways to use our personal gifts to make a difference
• To collaborate, joining our ideas with the efforts of others
• To see that the more we learn about everything, the wiser we are
• To have the courage to act on our values, to do the right thing
• To share our energy and optimism and hopefulness

So keep Iraq in your prayers. Call your legislators. Write letters to the editor. Support worldwide peace efforts. Vote your heart. Learn about the situation in Iraq–if they can live it, we can look at it. And if you aren’t ready to do those things, at least feel sad… if not, you become a victim of inhumanity too!

Now more than ever, You Can Be a Blessing!

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This entry was posted on Saturday, September 1st, 2007 at 8:59 am and is filed under Anne McCrady, War, InSpiritry, Greater Good, Peacework, Social Issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.