| Vol. 4 No. 1 January 8, 2009 |
| Reflections/Jonathan Gramling Peace maker |
| “When Rome began to disintegrate from within, it turned to a strengthening of the military establishment, rather than to a correction of the corruption within society. We are doing the same thing in this country and the result will probably be the same — unless, and here I have to admit to a bit of chauvinism, the black man in America can provide a new soul force for all Americans, a new expression of the American dream that need not be realized at the expense of other men around the world, but a dream of opportunity and life that can be shared with the rest of the world.” — Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope These words of Martin Luther King Jr. ring just as true today as they did over 40 years ago when they were spoken concerning the Vietnam War. The current brutality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is just the most recent flair up of violence that has occurred in most regions of the world. Violence never achieves peace; it merely presents the illusion of peace as the other side plots its revenge in silence. I can’t help but feel — however delusionary it may be — that President-elect Barack Obama carries Dr. King’s words in his heart. In his appointments to his Cabinet, in his attempts to be bipartisan in developing the budget and dealing with the present economic crisis, one can’t help but feel that he is looking for positive solutions that are win-win for the people whom they affect. Yes, we are going to have to sacrifice, but it is my hope that we will sacrifice as a people, that the rich and the powerful will sacrifice as much as the poor and powerless will be asked — or forced — to sacrifice. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one based on a piece of land that has been in possession of one group of people and then another for millennia. If one took snap shots over time, one individual snapshot would show X group of people possessing the land and another would show Y people with it. Somehow, all of the parties are going to have to see that they will be better off if they all work together for the betterment of the region. Right now, it seems the sides are a millennium away from realizing that. There are Israeli actions the exhibit a fundamental disregard for Palestinian life. And there are others who have a deep desire to destroy Israel and drive its people into the sea. And it seems that the militants on both sides keep stirring the pot with violence whenever it seems that some form of peace may be at hand. I can’t help but believe that Barack Obama has the values, intuition, intelligence and experience as a community organizer — yes, I did say community organizer — to bring some sense of higher purpose to the analysis and discussions concerning peace efforts in this volatile region of the world, a seeming fault line of violence that erupts from time to time threatening the stability of those around it. As Barack Obama deals with all of the international crises that he must confront, I hope he will take Dr. King’s word to heart. We have bankrupt our nation as we have created the most powerful military force in history while our economic institutions have collapsed under the greed-inspired corruption that has driven our country for so long. I hope that Barack Obama can return America to the use of diplomacy and reason. I hope that he is able to show the world that while we have the might, we choose to use the right. I fear for this world unless we all get some of that soul force going and begin to look beyond our narrow self-interest and greed. Together as individuals, communities, states and countries, we can solve the problems that we face. They will not be solved through violence. They will be solved through the creative application of the human spirit. And I can think of no one more capable at this point in time than Barack Obama. Barack, may the soul force be with you! |
