Even as I am writing this Page, the military powers of the Gaza Strip and Israel are lobbing missiles at each other’s countries. The rockets from both sides have caused considerable damage to buildings and other property, and the loss of life in Gaza has been largely borne by civilians although the weaponry has been aimed at targets believed to be refuges for militant leaders. Israel is at significant advantage in having weaponry that intercepts the Gaza rockets so to minimize both damage and loss of life. That defensive weapon has been provided by American authorities. Israel taunted by Gaza rockets is mobilizing at the border, perhaps to follow through with surface invasion. Analysts have responded to all this with deep concern about peace, especially when the constancy of tension is ongoing now twenty years in process of terrorism related to some Islamic military groups. In the meantime the major nations of the world have lost some of the gains they seemed to have achieved, and have renewed accents on military preparations. Taken together with economic tensions, climate change, crime syndicates in weak nations, and assorted other problems related to life necessities for burgeoning populations, the people of the world are in dangerous times. (We are always in dangerous times, but some less so than others. Readers of this Page may be in peaceful respite.) Governments are so torn with inner divisions that leadership appears stymied in all contexts. Again, as during many periods in history, nations are on the edge of folly (tragedy).
Nations seem not to know some of the issues they must address to find peace. Nations have much in common, but lesser things divide them, may even make enemies among them. Issues relate to concepts of jealousy that are often found in interactive competition. Nations, like persons, become jealous of one another and that may not relate to the citizenry so much as a nation may act in ways that sacrifice the citizenry. When the citizenry is influenced or persuaded in a direction the pressure is on the leader to gain some resolution. It applies in all contexts, not just in war and peace. On the capsule projection into space by the Russians, President Kennedy felt embarrassed by the Russia win, so that he promised a landing on the moon before the next decade would be introduced (1960). There was a general feeling that space exploration did not gain a primary honor for the United States until that promise was achieved. Currently there is an attempt to cooperate with the launches taking place from Russia, but there is deep feeling from some leaders that America has lost something important to primacy in both meaning and research. American reporting has declined related to space progress for nations when the origin has gone elsewhere. This kind of story can be repeated in many contexts. There is tension because we are distracted and tend to blame persons, movements, and meaning so to make negative and troublesome contexts.
Christianity is affirmative. It has a message to declare. It does not measure itself by majorities and minorities, by cultures or national boundaries, or by any other natural division, like competition. It is meant to ask for freedom so to declare its benefits to society in a redemptive message to individuals, and a value system for all in society. The whole is not measured in any competition with any other, but by effectiveness in the lives of those who, moved by faith, desire to have their personal lives measured by biblical concepts. Those concepts not only serve individuals but offer hope for society in a system that honors truth, integrity, fairness, courage, work, service to others, loyalty to land of birth, love, family and peace – as well as other assorted benefits that, when followed, offer comfort, direction, education, respect – and the affirmative list grows – including long life. There is no legitimate excuse for jealousy leading to conflict, for competition leading to conflict – or for any other excuse leading to conflict. We do not want an inch of someone else’s land, nor to add undue benefit to ourselves. Christianity is designed for the world. In the world we seek the right (righteousness), and forgive the wrong. A little understood factor is that there are times when God permits forces of lower values to overcome forces of higher values because of failures and arrogance of the admittedly better side. Israel would sometimes complain to God their misunderstanding of events related to the wicked overcoming those more righteous. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020