I don’t know what to say.
At such times I’m tempted to fill the space with words because I feel like I should say something. But…we can’t all be experts on international relations. We can’t all be political leaders.
Do I ignore the horror unfolding on the other side of the globe? Maybe just write something about the FREEDOM TOUR as though everything’s normal?
That doesn’t seem right, either.
“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ~ Elie Wiesiel
Here’s the best I can do: VIOLENCE IS NEVER THE ANSWER.
When he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of the futility of violence as a problem-solving tool.
Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones. Violence is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding: it seeks to annihilate rather than convert. Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.
I choose to be on the side of peace. However – advocating for peace doesn’t mean standing passively in the face of abuse.
Taking sides, standing for what’s right, often requires sacrifice.