I was going to write about the fact that we are still going through changes here in Ann Arbor, but then I got to thinking about the news feed and all that is going on around the world and I thought to myself, “your life is pretty mundane and insignificant in comparison.”
The media has got it pretty good right now, don’t they? They seem to feed like buzzards on the physical, spiritual, and moral death in the world. And we eat it right up with them. Extremists trapping the helpless faithful. Nations at war in the Middle East. A celebrity takes his own life. Racial unrest in the heartland. We read and click and read and click. They’ve set their bait carefully, and we have nibbled. The more we nibble, the more bait they throw out. The more they throw out, the more we ingest. It’s a feeding frenzy!
As I read, I begin to wonder if bad news begets more bad news. How much power does the media have? Does a reporter’s ‘take’ on a situation influence the outcome of the situation? And, if so, do reporter’s take that responsibility seriously? Do they frame their reporting in a way that will cause resolution? Or in a way that will generate more news?
They are just questions. I am not saying I have the answer. I am saying that I, like others, can’t seem to look away when I see the suffering of others. I am ashamed by that. Ashamed that I am not really working toward resolution, either, I am just watching to see what happens next. Like it’s a movie, and not real life.
But it is real life. People are suffering. And they are not suffering for our entertainment. They are suffering. Period.
I have a very cushy life. I get to wake up when I want, write whatever words I want in my blog, eat whatever I want in my kitchen, watch whatever I want on my TV, read whatever I want on my computer. I have no one aiming a gun at me, no one telling me how to live my life. I have all kinds of free time.
Today I am not going to use that free time to feed on the misfortune of others. I am going to pray for those who are suffering, I am going to pray for resolution to crises, I am going to pray that God, who is still God, will bring order and peace to our world. He alone is able.
With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26
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