Water sustains life, but it can also take it away--often very mercilessly. The recent flood which engulfed many parts of Thailand bears witness to the fearsome destructive power of rushing water.
Looking through numerous photos of the aftermath broke my heart. Desperation, material deprivation, wasted livestock, caged pigs trapped as water levels rose converged in a heart-wrenching account of suffering. I can never fully understand the intense pain, agony and total helplessness they are forced to endure. Pain and pleasure have indeed been unequally distributed.
Natural disasters peel back the veneer of our presumed mastery over the created order to reveal vulnerable and bruised people. Worse still, those severely affected by these unforgiving upheavals are the poor and unimportant people who the government has no regard and use for. Help and relief aid are slow and begrudgingly given. At best, the government puts up a show for the benefit of good publicity before the global media. Why should the government exert itself? After all, these people won't be able to return the favor.
This happens on the other side of the fence. The poor are invisible to us here on this side of things. They are stripped of their names, faces and histories. Their lives are flattened into disjointed pictures and breaking news that flash on our glossy flat screen TVs in between entertainment programs. Scenes of destruction and poverty are quickly inundated by adverts cajoling us to buy the latest goods or subscribe to new services that promise to place us a cut above the rest. We are constantly subjected to an unending stream of random info-bytes and trivia. Is it any wonder why we have become so distracted, mindless and restless? We are so addicted to entertainment that we feel empty when these are taken away, even for a day. Our frenzied scurrying around and unceasing transition from one form of stimulus to another conceals the yawning emptiness at the center of our lives.
Secure in our material comfort and distracted by the unceasing entertainment afforded by technology (i.e. 24 hr movie channels, iPhone game apps and etc), the plight of our unfortunate neighbors becomes merely a blip in our overly stimulated consciousness. Is this what we as Christians should be in response to God's command to love God and neighbor? I think not!
In indicting others, I point the accusing finger at myself. Have I fallen into the same state of over stimulation and distractedness? I think the answer is yes.
Viewing the plight of the Thais has once again enliven my desire to distance myself from the maddening and oppressive clout of media-saturated living. I would like to reaffirm my commitment not to give in to watching TV (especially soap operas) as it fosters a trivializing attitude, intellectual sloth and disengagement. I also do not want it to shape my world and perceptions. In short, I want to intentional about the influences I allow into my life.
Taking time to pray for others, especially for people in different parts of the world experiencing injustice and material lack puts myself in a position of allowing God to prod and shape me. Extending hospitality and help to others enable me to see my own weakness and vulnerability in others and so guard against arrogance and pride.
Also, I desire to be intentional in the way I communicate. It takes effort and practice to avoid the doublespeak that plagues our government and media and to speak candidly, openly and responsibly so that my words enlighten and build up rather than obfuscate and enslave.
Help me oh Lord.
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