Being human
I’m watching The Pianist. Some things consistently amaze me about humanity.
- Our capacity for evil, for such darkness. Think German soldiers beating/shooting Jews on the spot for fun (I’m not saying they’re only ones who have done, just this film is set during World War 2); think (not too hard) genocide.
- Our capacity for love, for self-sacrifice for others - even those we barely know - at risk of our own lives.
- Our capacity for great beauty, for love, for creativity: for music, for art, for poetry and prose.
- That we can be such a mix of good and evil, darkness and light, and yet be made in the image of God.
- That God can love us so much despite our worst.
[I wanted to add a picture, but can't seem to get them into posts today.]
Amen sister, I’m amazed with you!
I have been living in Kenya now for almost 2 years and have seen some pretty horrible things. I spent my first 8 months here doing home based care in one of the Nairobi slums for a HIV/AIDS Project and my “introduction” to the darkness of the human heart came when one of the ladies I was tending was killed by her live in boyfriend following my visit.
He was in total denial that either of them had AIDS, and coming home drunk one day went into a rage upon seeing a bottle of re-hydration fluid I had left for her. He proceeded to violently beat her, then shoved the bottle into her vagina and hung her upside down from the rafters. By the time we reached her she was dead.
Yet as a result of this tragic event a small group a women came together and found a voice -protesting the blind eye their community had turned towards them (as AIDS suffers) and towards issues of domestic violence.
I now work in the remote rural areas of Western Kenya and won’t even go into all that occurred during the post-election violence (which I was in the middle of) or my experiences in the IDP Camps.
And least I fail to be completely honest…there have been my own moral weaknesses which I’m now trying to deal with. “Lord why” and “have mercy on us” have been my lament.
The capacity for great evil or for great love live within us all….and seeing into the human heart can be the most frightening of things if we’re not looking through the lens of Gods love!
Thanks for your comment on my blog….now that I’ve read yours I’m challenged, encouraged and jealous! Jealous of your ability (and willingness) to be transparent and write about your “real” inner struggles (I feel as though I’m failing miserably in this area…. emotional constipation! ) but challenged and encouraged to keep trying! Thanks
Wow, what amazing women they are. I can’t imagine that I would be as strong and resilient as they have been. The more I learn about the world the more I want to cry & cheer at the same time. Cry for that women who died. Cry for the man that killed her - whatever fears drove him to that must be horrific.
I am challenged by what you’re doing. And a little jealous. I feel very much aware of not really ‘doing’ anything with my life at the moment. I turn 31 next week, but what have I to show for it? And I also realise how privileged I am - I have a home (though not owned), health (well, I’m not dying any faster than the average person), a job and a wage that is better than UK minimum wage, freedom to be a woman, freedom of religion. I have so much. And yet I feel something is missing. And I don’t just think it’s a man.