New Year’s 2016 – Getting the Right Perspective

Coming off of a way-too-short Christmas vacation, I sat down in front of my computer this morning only to be confronted by more than 400, unread security and conflict-related emails. [Happy New Year, I guess!]  One contained a link to a Foreign Policy feature article titled:  “10 Conflicts to Watch in 2016,” in which the author began with this cheerful observation:

For 20 years after the end of the Cold War, deadly conflict was in decline. Fewer wars were killing fewer people the world over. Five years ago, however, that positive trend went into reverse, and each year since has seen more conflict, more victims, and more people displaced. 2016 is unlikely to bring an improvement from the woes of 2015: It is war — not peace — that has momentum.

I thought about this for a few minutes, and wondered, “how can one person make a positive difference in the world?  How should people of good conscience respond to this trend?  Where do we begin?

This line of thought then led me to reflect on the words of a hymn that I was privileged to sing during yesterday’s church services.  The text was taken from Psalm 72, and says:

For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help; the afflicted also, and him who has no helper.  He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save.  He will rescue their life from oppression and violence; and their blood will be precious in his sight . . .

The Psalm reminded me of the current wars in the Middle East and SW Asia, the violence being inflicted on rural populations in Mexico and Central America, and the endless cycle of civil war and strife in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the way in which the developed world responds.  How different are the ideas in the Psalm from the normal messages that we hear from world leaders, political candidates, corporate CEOs, pundits, analysts, and celebrities.  Think about it.  What role do values play in the decisions that are made on the world stage, or the messages that are continually conveyed to the public?  What role should compassion play in our efforts to achieve some semblance of world peace?  Is it OK to compromise human rights if compromise leads to greater stability – even if that stability is built on the back of oppression?  Should the plight of war refugees be a central issue of world concern?   Or is it acceptable to dismiss the refugees’ misfortune as a sad but inevitable, by-product of war –”collateral damage”? 

As we begin the New Year, and before we get caught up in the detail of specific crises, I want to argue for a reset in our thinking.  Values matter.  They reflect who we are – as individuals and as a society.  They aren’t just idle rhetoric.  Wars are fought over ideals and ideas.  Great societies and rich cultures are formed around them.   Human life matters, regardless of caste, religion, ethnicity.   I made a resolution that this year, in 2016, I will speak out against injustice, prejudice, inhumanity, bigotry, and hardheartedness, wherever I see it.  I will not stay politely and conveniently silent. 

I invite you to join me in this.  Instead of making decisions and taking positions, and THEN trying to justify them with what we know is fundamentally right and fundamentally wrong, let’s start with our values, and move forward from there.    Happy New Year, with peace on earth and goodwill toward all.

Empathy and the Power of Conflict to Make Us Forget

I was traveling during the last four weeks, and it seems as though the world went to hell in a hand-basket while I was away.  Ukraine is getting more complicated, not less; the level of violence in Syria has reached a point where it's not even shocking us anymore; Kenya is spiraling into a level of instability and no one is seriously talking about it; Sudan doesn't even make the news, nor does anything else in Sub-Saharan Africa it seems; and now Iraq has imploded.  And of course, we've totally given up on the kidnapped Nigerian girls. (#bringbackourgirls was nice while it lasted.)  There are so many things I could say about each/all of these, and probably will at some point, but all I can think of today is this:

In each and every conflict, real people are involved.  They bleed.  They mourn.  They fear.  They pray.  They hope.  They suffer.  They die.  They see their lives explode in front of them, but can do nothing about it.  They worry over their children, and panic over their safety and their future.  They see everything they've ever dreamed of, worked for, or believed in go up in smoke.  They find themselves fighting disease, hunger, thirst, destitution, loss, chaos and despair -- all at the same time. 

Because the fact is that most people involved in a conflict are not really involved in the conflict.  They're just there.

Funny thing is, however, the bigger the conflict, the less we think about the human cost.  All this week, I've been following the news from Iraq, and then it hit me.  What is the one thing no one is talking about?  That's easy -- it's the impact this crisis is having on the hundreds of thousands of ordinary Iraqis who were, before now, just trying to live out their lives with some semblance of normalcy.  So just for a few minutes, let's take the time to empathize with them.  And then let's not forget.

If You Want Peace, Work for Justice: From Words into Action

If You Want Peace, Work for Justice: From Words into Action – I was struggling to decide what kind of rule of law theme I wanted to discuss during Easter because it seemed important to say something on one of the highest Holy Days of the year for Christians.  And then I thought about Pope John Paul’s message:  “If you want peace, work for justice,” or, as I used to hear when I was working in Colombia, “Si quieras la Paz; trabaja por la Justicia.”  (beautiful in Spanish!)

I have tried to live out my professional life according to this saying.  I learned early on that the desire for fundamental fairness is written on our hearts.  Even in the worst conflict environments, or amongst the most incorrigible individuals, when you peel back the layers, there is a sense of grievance and injustice that hasn’t been addressed.  All of the world’s great religions contain justice as one of their core themes, and throughout human history, we have struggled to balance our baser instincts with the knowledge that without justice, there is no peace.  And in my world, without the rule of law, there is not justice.

So I want to challenge us all – what are we each doing to foster justice in our own communities and work?  How are we addressing the grievances of those around us?  Are we demonstrating mercy, compassion, empathy, or are we just assuming injustice away and dismissing the hurts of some as less important than others?   Are we actively working to make peace, or are we satisfied with mere words?

If you want peace, work for justice -- make these more than words.