I think there's a part of all of us that would like to remain blissfully ignorant regarding the injustices of this world. We'd like to take the Scarlett O'Hara approach and think about it tomorrow...or never. It's easier to change the channel...to look the other way...to not get involved. We have our own deadlines and schedules and responsibilities and goals and dreams. It's difficult to make the choice to sacrifice those things for the sake of someone else.
Over the last week and a half, I've been thinking about the quote that is often attributed to Edmund Burke (though many are skeptical if these were his exact words):
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
No matter who conjured it, this is a profound sentence. I've heard it bounced around here and there in relation to the Penn State scandal. It's relevance is unmistakeable. You have a school that portrays itself as being just a little better than the rest. A school where academics truly rival sports. A school where a man presumed to be a great leader and a role model has presided for almost half a century. A school that is fighting to maintain steady footing as evils hidden for years are bubbling to the surface.
The accomplishments of Joe Paterno cannot be denied. I think it's terribly tragic that he will be defined by the disgusting actions of another person, actions that have not only led to that person's downfall but also the downfall of a huge part of Penn State's executive leadership. While there is really no defense of Paterno's lack of response to the allegations that were brought before him, I suspect he was just closing his eyes and plugging his ears and hoping for the best. He was, perhaps, hoping to remain willfully and blissfully ignorant, convincing himself along the way that it couldn't possibly be as bad as it seemed.
But if the reports are true, it certainly was that bad...actually, it was much worse. And as information continues to come forward, it makes me wonder if Paterno wasn't just pleading ignorance but instead actively choosing to ignore the allegations for the sake of the institution...and possibly his reputation. I've never met the guy, and I don't pretend to know what's going on inside his head; but I do know he had the opportunity to become a true moral hero, and he failed to act for whatever reason.
Evil triumphed when a presumed "good" man did nothing.
I don't write this to condemn Joe Paterno. He and Mike McQueary and the Penn State leadership have already been hounded by the media and the rest of us alike. It's too late to really think about what might have been. We're to a point where we have to face what is and make what meager attempts we can to fix it. And no matter who goes to jail, no matter who loses his job, no matter what financial payments are made, no matter what apologies are issued, we won't be able to give those boys back their innocence.
Perhaps the most meaningful thing that can come out of this whole situation is that the rest of us take a lesson from it. We, ourselves, are just one averted gaze away from becoming Joe Paternos and Mike McQuearys. At any give moment, we could be faced with a circumstance in which we are tempted to just turn our backs, walk away, and pretend it never happened.
In John 15:12-13, Jesus said:
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Our friends may be next door or around the world. They may be people we've known for years or complete strangers. Still, the call to love is the same. We have the greatest example of a friend's willingness to lay down His life in Christ's sacrifice for us. Penn State should open our eyes. It should be our rally cry, not to stand idly by while injustices swirl around us. We must find our voice and speak up in love and respect.
Even a single tragedy such as this is one too many. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time one person has taken advantage of another, and sadly, it won't be the last. But we do have the opportunity to shed our blissful ignorance and acknowledge injustice. We can't pretend it away. We can't just hope for the best. We have make the sacrifice required to act, to speak, to stand up, to intervene...to love.
And that should be how we move forward from here.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
May 21, 2011
May 21, 2011, was not about a day of impending apocalypse for me. Instead, it was about a note written on a rear window of an old car that simply read: Tuscaloosa Thanks America. I wish I had taken a photo of it as I knew it was heartfelt...and in a simple way, it expressed my complex thoughts. As I read that little note, I thought, "Yes, yes, we do."
I should explain that I was not personally affected by the April 27, 2011 tornadoes. My house was in no way harmed. My family are all safe and sound. I haven't even lived on 15th Street in Tuscaloosa since July 2006. That's almost five years.
But a part of me will always call it home.
As a drove down the street that used to be so familiar, I was devastated. I don't know what I expected to see. I had seen countless photos of the damage. I knew it was bad...really bad. But nothing prepared me the path of destruction that tattered the landscape. Favorite restaurants and houses where I used to hang out with friends were reduced to piles of bricks and splintered wood. The apartment where I lived for three years escaped with only minor damage...but barely. A little bobble in the cyclone, and it would have been gone, too. It has been almost a month and work has continued around the clock, but it seems that barely a dent has been made. It was disheartening and overwhelming, especially as I know awareness of the struggle is fading from the public eye.
In the midst of this, though, I found hope. I found it in a map at the Volunteer Registration Center, where volunteers placed their initials over their home states - a map that had initials stretching almost nationwide. I found it in the sweaty faces of guys unloading truck after truck and van after van as they dropped off supplies. I found in the helping hands, faithfully sorting food, clothes, and everything else imaginable. I found it in the Tuscaloosa native, who, having weathered the storm with no damage, was choosing to serve others. I found it in the group of Navy personnel from out of state, heading out to clear debris. I found it on the sign written on a piece of cardboard box and hanging above a distribution center doorway that read: People who say it can't be done, please don't interrupt the people who are doing it.
Everywhere I looked there was a glimmer of hope. A smile on a face, a tireless effort, a willingness to do whatever it took.
I pray this is true for other areas affected by the storm. I pray it's true for states and countries that have recently weathered extensive destruction due to other heart-wrenching disasters. Hope is what keeps us moving. It's what gives us the strength to put one foot in front of the other. It's what keeps our focus on the horizon. Without hope, we might as well fold up, go home, and wait for the world to end. Without hope, there would be no point.
A place I still consider home is broken, but it hasn't lost hope...and neither have I. We're all thankful for the support from across the nation, and we have faith that the effort won't end until the final task is complete.
I'm grateful that my May 21, 2011, was not spent waiting on the world to end. We're told that only God knows the hour and the day, so why should we waste our time trying to guess? I used my day to give my tiny offering to the healing process. I used my day to give hope. I pray, in some way, you did, too.
We are Tuscaloosa. We are Alabama. Roll Tide Roll.
I should explain that I was not personally affected by the April 27, 2011 tornadoes. My house was in no way harmed. My family are all safe and sound. I haven't even lived on 15th Street in Tuscaloosa since July 2006. That's almost five years.
But a part of me will always call it home.
As a drove down the street that used to be so familiar, I was devastated. I don't know what I expected to see. I had seen countless photos of the damage. I knew it was bad...really bad. But nothing prepared me the path of destruction that tattered the landscape. Favorite restaurants and houses where I used to hang out with friends were reduced to piles of bricks and splintered wood. The apartment where I lived for three years escaped with only minor damage...but barely. A little bobble in the cyclone, and it would have been gone, too. It has been almost a month and work has continued around the clock, but it seems that barely a dent has been made. It was disheartening and overwhelming, especially as I know awareness of the struggle is fading from the public eye.
In the midst of this, though, I found hope. I found it in a map at the Volunteer Registration Center, where volunteers placed their initials over their home states - a map that had initials stretching almost nationwide. I found it in the sweaty faces of guys unloading truck after truck and van after van as they dropped off supplies. I found in the helping hands, faithfully sorting food, clothes, and everything else imaginable. I found it in the Tuscaloosa native, who, having weathered the storm with no damage, was choosing to serve others. I found it in the group of Navy personnel from out of state, heading out to clear debris. I found it on the sign written on a piece of cardboard box and hanging above a distribution center doorway that read: People who say it can't be done, please don't interrupt the people who are doing it.
Everywhere I looked there was a glimmer of hope. A smile on a face, a tireless effort, a willingness to do whatever it took.
I pray this is true for other areas affected by the storm. I pray it's true for states and countries that have recently weathered extensive destruction due to other heart-wrenching disasters. Hope is what keeps us moving. It's what gives us the strength to put one foot in front of the other. It's what keeps our focus on the horizon. Without hope, we might as well fold up, go home, and wait for the world to end. Without hope, there would be no point.
A place I still consider home is broken, but it hasn't lost hope...and neither have I. We're all thankful for the support from across the nation, and we have faith that the effort won't end until the final task is complete.
I'm grateful that my May 21, 2011, was not spent waiting on the world to end. We're told that only God knows the hour and the day, so why should we waste our time trying to guess? I used my day to give my tiny offering to the healing process. I used my day to give hope. I pray, in some way, you did, too.
We are Tuscaloosa. We are Alabama. Roll Tide Roll.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Musings From the Iced In
First, I would like to note that I am a confessed homebody. I love being at home. I love days that I can spend in my pajamas with no real plans or obligations. I love taking a little time to be lazy.
That being said, I'm so ready to get out of this house! Today was the second day I missed work due to the icy conditions, and it's possible I won't be able to make it in until later in the day tomorrow. I've had time to gather my thoughts, finish the puzzle Daddy and I started at Christmas, write, read, and keep up with my exercise (indoors only). I've also had way too much time to watch TV, which in the middle of the day mostly consists of the news, talk shows, and soap operas. Mostly, I've chosen the news, and after two days, I can almost report the news stories by heart.
One of the most reported topics of late is - in case you are unaware and completely out of touch - Auburn won the National Championship. For the most part, I have refrained from commenting on this. I'm happy for the fans and the state of Alabama, but Auburn's just not my deal. I think even Auburn fans can appreciate that. Honestly, I am getting tired of hearing about it all, but I wouldn't take that away from the university or the fans...I know they got tired of hearing about Alabama last year, too. And I'm not really into issuing passive aggressive ramblings and trash talk that sometimes gets a little too emotional and personal - and which I've regrettably read coming from fans of all sorts of teams...mostly SEC. So aside from offering a congratulations, there's really not that much more for me to say about it...except, I did read an interesting article today stating that Auburn's National Championship Trophy will be displayed in the local Wal-Mart. I only note this because last year I seem to remember a number of Auburn fans making fun of Alabama for the same exact thing. Like I said, it was an interesting article.
Even as a passionate (and all too often obsessive) Alabama fan, I've sometimes questioned our devotion to paying large amounts of money to essentially watch guys run back and forth on a field, pounding one another. When you sit around thinking about it for too long, it starts to sound downright absurd...especially when you think about the millions of dollars some guys make playing football - and other sports - as their "job." To hear players talk about the game or the season, you'd think they had just been to war. Sometimes, I think the battle imagery and the significance we place on the "game" is too much. And maybe sometimes it is. But as I watched the other major news stories of the past couple of days - the shooting in Tucson - the flooding in Australia - I started to consider the true importance of celebrations like the National Championship Game. Even in the face of great tragedy, celebrations bring us a moment of respite...they give us permission to smile, to laugh, to be joyous. Celebrations, be they a game or a birthday or a beautiful day, remind us of the reasons that we persevere through the struggles that we do.
In a world where our daily lives are filled with battles - some great, some small - it's cathartic to be able to rally together with fellow fans behind a team that we love. We cheer their triumphs, and we bemoan their failures. We love a good comeback, and we appreciate a success story that comes from the most unexpected place. We trash talk opponents because somehow our team is more talented, more moral, more worthy, more deserving than our foes. Maybe it's true, maybe it isn't...but it gives us something to get behind. Isn't that reflective of our own lives? Doesn't it reflect the success that we desire for ourselves. Doesn't it give us an outlet for our competitive spirit? Even the Bible refers to life like a race to be won or lost. It's in us to strive to win, to finish the race.
Maybe I'm thinking too much into it. I have been stuck in the house for a while now. I guess that sometimes we - myself included - get a little too involved with our "teams." We place a little too much importance on winning and losing, and in our elation or our defeat, we go a little too far. However, in time, the excitement of winning fades and the sting of loss dissolves. Life equalizes and returns to normal. And in those moments, as we return to our own daily battles, our own triumphs and tragedies, we move forward with the assurance that just around the corner...is NEXT SEASON!
CONGRATULATIONS, AUBURN! AND, AS ALWAYS, ROLL TIDE!
That being said, I'm so ready to get out of this house! Today was the second day I missed work due to the icy conditions, and it's possible I won't be able to make it in until later in the day tomorrow. I've had time to gather my thoughts, finish the puzzle Daddy and I started at Christmas, write, read, and keep up with my exercise (indoors only). I've also had way too much time to watch TV, which in the middle of the day mostly consists of the news, talk shows, and soap operas. Mostly, I've chosen the news, and after two days, I can almost report the news stories by heart.
One of the most reported topics of late is - in case you are unaware and completely out of touch - Auburn won the National Championship. For the most part, I have refrained from commenting on this. I'm happy for the fans and the state of Alabama, but Auburn's just not my deal. I think even Auburn fans can appreciate that. Honestly, I am getting tired of hearing about it all, but I wouldn't take that away from the university or the fans...I know they got tired of hearing about Alabama last year, too. And I'm not really into issuing passive aggressive ramblings and trash talk that sometimes gets a little too emotional and personal - and which I've regrettably read coming from fans of all sorts of teams...mostly SEC. So aside from offering a congratulations, there's really not that much more for me to say about it...except, I did read an interesting article today stating that Auburn's National Championship Trophy will be displayed in the local Wal-Mart. I only note this because last year I seem to remember a number of Auburn fans making fun of Alabama for the same exact thing. Like I said, it was an interesting article.
Even as a passionate (and all too often obsessive) Alabama fan, I've sometimes questioned our devotion to paying large amounts of money to essentially watch guys run back and forth on a field, pounding one another. When you sit around thinking about it for too long, it starts to sound downright absurd...especially when you think about the millions of dollars some guys make playing football - and other sports - as their "job." To hear players talk about the game or the season, you'd think they had just been to war. Sometimes, I think the battle imagery and the significance we place on the "game" is too much. And maybe sometimes it is. But as I watched the other major news stories of the past couple of days - the shooting in Tucson - the flooding in Australia - I started to consider the true importance of celebrations like the National Championship Game. Even in the face of great tragedy, celebrations bring us a moment of respite...they give us permission to smile, to laugh, to be joyous. Celebrations, be they a game or a birthday or a beautiful day, remind us of the reasons that we persevere through the struggles that we do.
In a world where our daily lives are filled with battles - some great, some small - it's cathartic to be able to rally together with fellow fans behind a team that we love. We cheer their triumphs, and we bemoan their failures. We love a good comeback, and we appreciate a success story that comes from the most unexpected place. We trash talk opponents because somehow our team is more talented, more moral, more worthy, more deserving than our foes. Maybe it's true, maybe it isn't...but it gives us something to get behind. Isn't that reflective of our own lives? Doesn't it reflect the success that we desire for ourselves. Doesn't it give us an outlet for our competitive spirit? Even the Bible refers to life like a race to be won or lost. It's in us to strive to win, to finish the race.
Maybe I'm thinking too much into it. I have been stuck in the house for a while now. I guess that sometimes we - myself included - get a little too involved with our "teams." We place a little too much importance on winning and losing, and in our elation or our defeat, we go a little too far. However, in time, the excitement of winning fades and the sting of loss dissolves. Life equalizes and returns to normal. And in those moments, as we return to our own daily battles, our own triumphs and tragedies, we move forward with the assurance that just around the corner...is NEXT SEASON!
CONGRATULATIONS, AUBURN! AND, AS ALWAYS, ROLL TIDE!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
1/1/11 - Out With the Old, In With the...Well, You Know
So long, 2010. Can't say I'm too sad to see you to see you go. Don't get me wrong, you've brought me a lot of blessings. I've finally achieved stable, gainful employment. I've finished another script with my writing partner. I've watched my Youth Group grow and learn spiritually. I've grown and learned spiritually. I've enjoyed a full year getting reacquainted with my family after having lived apart from them for over 7 years (3 1/2 of which were all the way on the other side of the country). I've celebrated my grandmother's 89th birthday. I've certainly had a lot of experiences for which I am eternally thankful.
But underneath the facade, 2010, you've been a year of stress. A year of ups and downs...of almosts and disappointments. You've been a year during which I've struggled and wrestled with myself more than any other I can remember. I feel like there is some great thing - some awesome adventure - that is waiting just beyond my fingertips. All through 2010 I've reached for it but haven't quite grasped it. That feeling of falling short is why I am glad to see 2010 in my rearview.
And why I have an enormous amount of faith in 2011.
Yes, I know we always make a lot of the infamous New Year's Resolutions - most of which are broken before January 2nd. But there's something about that fresh start of a new year. It's a new chance to evaluate ourselves. To see where we've been and anticipate where we're going. A new year holds the hope that we will finally get it together and achieve the dreams we hold dear. It holds the promise of opportunity...but it's up to us to cling to the determination to follow through.
This is the first year in quite a while that I've actually written down resolutions. I've made a point to keep them on my desk so that I can take them out from time to time to remind myself of the vigor in which I rolled into 2011. Will I achieve all of them? Honestly, probably not. But I believe having a tangible reminder of what I expect of myself throughout this next year will at least keep me progressing towards my goals (if not outright achieving them) and prevent me from spinning my wheels as I did in 2010.
If there's one thing that I've realized with the coming of this new year, it's that time flies faster and faster with each year that goes by. If you're not careful, you'll blink and ten years will pass, and you'll still be standing in the same place with a dazed and confused look on your face. That's how I've felt about my last 365 days, and I don't want to have a similar feeling with the ringing in of 2012.
So here's to the next trip around the sun. Here's to the adventure that's just around the corner. Here's to the next step towards my dreams. Here's to the death of anxious pessimism and to the rise of hope. Is it easier said than done. Of course it is. But isn't the first step admitting the problem?
Happy 2011, Everyone!
But underneath the facade, 2010, you've been a year of stress. A year of ups and downs...of almosts and disappointments. You've been a year during which I've struggled and wrestled with myself more than any other I can remember. I feel like there is some great thing - some awesome adventure - that is waiting just beyond my fingertips. All through 2010 I've reached for it but haven't quite grasped it. That feeling of falling short is why I am glad to see 2010 in my rearview.
And why I have an enormous amount of faith in 2011.
Yes, I know we always make a lot of the infamous New Year's Resolutions - most of which are broken before January 2nd. But there's something about that fresh start of a new year. It's a new chance to evaluate ourselves. To see where we've been and anticipate where we're going. A new year holds the hope that we will finally get it together and achieve the dreams we hold dear. It holds the promise of opportunity...but it's up to us to cling to the determination to follow through.
This is the first year in quite a while that I've actually written down resolutions. I've made a point to keep them on my desk so that I can take them out from time to time to remind myself of the vigor in which I rolled into 2011. Will I achieve all of them? Honestly, probably not. But I believe having a tangible reminder of what I expect of myself throughout this next year will at least keep me progressing towards my goals (if not outright achieving them) and prevent me from spinning my wheels as I did in 2010.
If there's one thing that I've realized with the coming of this new year, it's that time flies faster and faster with each year that goes by. If you're not careful, you'll blink and ten years will pass, and you'll still be standing in the same place with a dazed and confused look on your face. That's how I've felt about my last 365 days, and I don't want to have a similar feeling with the ringing in of 2012.
So here's to the next trip around the sun. Here's to the adventure that's just around the corner. Here's to the next step towards my dreams. Here's to the death of anxious pessimism and to the rise of hope. Is it easier said than done. Of course it is. But isn't the first step admitting the problem?
Happy 2011, Everyone!
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