Reflections on “Not Knowing What to Say” in the Face of Senseless Violence

A Context for Not Knowing What to Say.

As I prepare to share a group of maybe 15 persons reflecting on a dramatic story of the testing of Abraham told for thousands of years, I can’t help but put our conversation into the larger perspective of our world and our universe.  It’s hard not to have been impacted by the unspeakable but yet real tragedy that occurred in Newtown.  People everywhere had something to say, some attracted me and some repulsed me.  Our group struggled with not knowing what to say. 

This not knowing what to say came to the foreground for me just this morning.  As I was going through my Google+ posts, there was one entitled, “The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D [720p]/ Ultragłębokie Pole Hubble’a w 3D” which can be viewed athttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvjYcIPKA3s.  The hundreds of posts ranged all over but it didn’t take long for someone to express they’re being awed at the majesty of God which brought out all of those who asked why it was that the believers see God in the wonder of the universe but don’t talk about their God when tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes, and yes events such as Newtown wreak havoc on innocent victims.  Much of the conversations on either side really didn’t impress me.  I find it rare that a group of persons of different values and world views would take the time and discipline to discover what they already share in common and what precisely they disagree about in the concrete. 

Most of us seem, in my opinion, to be more shaped by our culture yet don’t seem to be aware that we are.  To that extent we already know what someone is going to say . . .  So we know what the liberal point of view is, the libertarian, the conservative, fundamentalist, atheist, etc., even though no one is only and all liberal, libertarian, conservative, fundamentalist, atheist, etc.  Life is simply more complex that any vast over generalization which tends to lump all these cultural realities into undifferentiated wholes.

A place to start. 

I think it is so obvious that nothing human is perfect, is beyond criticism, can’t be improved on. If the previous sentence  is true, then neither the government nor the country of the United States, the Roman Catholic Church or any religion, the worldview of liberals, conservatives, libertarians, fundamentalists, atheists; NRA or any organization, Knights of Columbus, Jews, the State of Israel, Muslims, etc., etc. etc.; nothing that we can talk about which is everything is beyond criticism. 

At the same time and this is the real rub, we do arrive at truth and truth has something of the absolute about it.  For example in its simplest form, concretely I will always have written this post; it’s just a brute fact.  And if you are reading this, you will always have read however much you will have read.  Whether we would agree on what I meant and you understand is a further question, but it is a meaningless question if I didn’t post and you didn’t read.  When truth becomes a weapon though, then I think the person using truth as a weapon has fallen short of truth’s value which is be a light on the path, a guide in the journey. 

People of Faith. 

The title of the website is Rise to the Level of our Times, because I am terribly interested in being part of a movement to challenge people of faith to achieve an adult understanding of their faith; to come to grips with the fact that learning something when we are 2 or 12 or 22 can be understood more fully, can be corrected, might even have to be jettisoned when we are now 32 or 42 or 72.  I believe that people of faith must learn to know what is of value and true in the secular world; the secular world cannot be all wrong nor is it all right.  I believe that people of faith need to be critical of their faith; their world of faith cannot be all right nor can it be all wrong. As people of faith we have a biography as an individual and a history as a community.  The search for meaning is in our individual biography and our communal history and true meaning is both redemptive and healing.

I will post on the Testing of Abraham on another day but wanted first to just air some of my thoughts to invite others to comment, express their opinion, feel free to say whatever is on your mind because it is you and you matter.

Your comments, observations, questions are welcomed. See “comment” link below.