Connecting life events these days create fear or hope. The death of young black adults plagues Milwaukee and other cities. It was announced today the US is sending more ground troops to Iraq and Syria. Food Stamps are no longer available for about 15, 000 adults in the Milwaukee area, around 31,000 statewide. The local St. Vincent de Paul leadership pouring more money into a wasted effort in suburbs rather than using it for people in need. Marquette University, a Jesuit Catholic school, continues to teach war and killing to students. The poor are being more segregated and struggling for basic survival while people of ‘white privilege’ talk about the problem and do token things.
If we connect these life events fear grows and can master us. Where is the hope?

Some say that people facing addiction from alcohol or drugs might have to experience bottom before they seek to turn things around. I have doubts about this statement and know for sure it does not apply to people with illnesses, like brain or mental illnesses. However disaster, like watching a 17 year youth be shot to death 16 times for no good reason does tend to push people over the top and want to do something. Maybe if we put things together, tragic as they may be, we can see the face of racism and other evils. Seeing, truly seeing, hearing, really listening, feeling the tragedies personally can wake some people up. People awake have a hard time ignoring these disasters of human life. Perhaps waking up and finding others awake will lead to direct action, not revenge or retribution, but mercy and kindness and, who knows, love of friends and enemies. We need to be hopeful and believe that from death new life can begin.

Comments

Please send any comments on this post to . Let us know which day’s post your comments pertain to. If the comments are appropriate we will post them here for you.