Threats, drivers of change and hope sit on every corner. At times they are clearly visible. Most of the time, the bold signs sit just beyond the bend; what we see are warning flags. The road ahead is so full of twists and turns that the only thing one knows for sure is that traveling in a straight line is not a viable option if one wants to stay alive. In the middle of this scene it is hard to imagine how anyone could sit idly by or ignore the warning signs ahead. When I look at almost every walk of life there are more people nodding off, virtually asleep than are anticipating and preparing.
Reading the paper is a map with a legend that screams warning! The obvious questions go unasked by reporters. Does an American president realize his statement about others when the host country stops all movements in the capital for several hours in the middle of the day? It is possible that a sport’s figure does not understand the influence his behavior has over a generation of kids across the world? Will the systemic raping of a country’s natural resources by the leader with no legitimate elected base go unchecked? Is anyone aware of the depth and breath of human slave trade that happened this week? What about the abuse and exploitation of others, many too young to defend themselves in your neighborhood and mine?
We know that burying our head in the busyness of daily life isn’t the right answer yet it is the one we most often give. We understand that ignoring exploitation and abuse is never the answer but we sit, watch, and discuss more often than planning and acting. We wonder aloud while the windows of opportunity pass us by.
So, “Blow the ram's horn trumpet in Zion! Trumpet the alarm on my holy mountain! Shake the country up! God's Judgment's on its way—the Day's almost here!” (Joel 2.1) Wake up, smell the coffee! You may think you are safe but your life is at risk to.
