One of our fellow members, Curious, of our Blogstream community posted this on her blog this morning:
"Don't let that, or anything like it, happen again!"
First, there are no guarantees in life. Yesterday, a raging flash flood roared through Sedona leaving wreck and ruin in its path. Only the brave work of first responders saved the lives in its path. There was no way to prepare for this potential tragedy. Stuff happens. Yet in America, many people think our nation should be exempt from these sort of events.
There is a view of America that is called American Exceptionalism. In this view, America is believed to have a special place in the world; and specifically in the Christian world. America, The New England Puritan, John Winthrop said, was a city set on a hill by God to be a light to the world. This view has been restated by every US president since the founding of this country. I think that this perspective which is called American Exceptionalism gives root to the idea that America should be exempt from any form of suffering, disaster, recession, etc. Bad things shouldn't happen in America because she has a special role in God's kingdom.
Here is my problem with this view of America: we apply the same thinking to our personal lives. Many Americans think that they should be exempt from any form of suffering, pain, discomfort, and inconvenience in their lives. I believe that this kind of thinking puts us at great risk as a nation because we do not have the mental and spiritual resources to deal with pain when it comes our way.
In the early 1950s the United States engaged in a conflict known at the Korean War. One of the interesting results of that war was the discovery that American POWs died at a greater rate than Turkish POWs. Psychologists began studying this phenomena. It was determined that American soldiers succumbed to the situation, gave up and would lie down and die as opposed to their Turkish comrades who continued to stoutly stand up through the experience. The resulting research determined that the American GIs lacked the mental toughness to withstand their circumstances. I propose that our national belief that we are exempt from suffering weakens our ability to stand tough in times of suffering and pain.
Only in America would some people suggest that we can somehow be exempt from pain and suffering. I think that we do a great disservice to ourselves, our families, our faith communities, and our nation if we think that 9/11 will never happen again. We need to remind each other that suffering is a common experience which we can face with courage, mental toughness and spiritual faith; to do otherwise, is to leave ourselves unequipped to deal with the harsh realities of the human experience.
(c) 2009 Ronald Friesen
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