With information comes responsibility. One can sit or spring into action. People make a spectacle of themselves; others watch. Reporters uncover what they think or believe is an unknown gem that could be the key to secret revelations and a story follows. Our responses can be described as tepid or strong, invasive or benign, aggressive or timid. Depending on the information, motives of the parties involved, and the way that things are discovered we draw conclusions on the legitimacy of actions and outcomes.
I do not have any easy answers to the questions that come. When one knows the inside story that could directly change the lives of others; is one obligated to act without regard for trust and self protection? If there is insider knowledge that involves trust among and between individuals or groups of individuals is one bound by a higher calling? What if there are no boundaries? How does one tell a story that is complex and simple at the same time? Do people really want to know something that might radically change their lives? Is knowledge always a good thing?
Sailing involves maximizing progress with competing forces. Winds, currents, and the resistance to change are all parts of the equation yet they do not determine the sum; the choice of the captain on how to respond to each is the key! What is important in your life and mine? Do we value trust above all? Will compassion and mercy drive our choices? Can we muster the courage to sacrifice our egos so that we can convey a message of love to another living without?
John discovered a gold-mine of information in the vision that God brought him. The instruction by his guide was clear. “Don’t seal the words of the prophecy of this book; don’t put it away on the shelf. Time is just about up.” (Revelation 22.10)
Time is running short. Lives around us are at risk. We know something, however little, about compassion, love, mercy, patience, and struggling against insurmountable odds. The question remains. What are we going to do?
