The world is full of questions. The Syrians and Turkish people
just suffered a terrible earthquake that killed many hundreds
of people. The Turkish people have twice tried to annihilate
the Armenians Thee two events took place close to 100 years apart.
The Armenians were neighbors to the Turks and did no harm to the
Syrians. We have gang wars in our country. Members of these gangs
die in territorial fights. They are buried and forgotten. The Turks and
the Romans before them attempted to conquer the world and govern it.
Many lives were lost in the warfare. People were displaced and separated.
They began new lives, although with heavy hearts, as they would never
see their loved ones again. As the Ottoman empire eventually collapsed,
the English, Germans, and Spanish began their attempt to conquer their
neighbors. In some areas, they were successful, and in others, they lost in
their effort. Some of the Africans enslaved other Africans and sold them
to other countries, using them as a commodity. In our country over a
period of years, we ended many Indian cultures and took over the land
as we moved westward. Slaves, however, were purchased and put to
work in the fields or whatever chore their masters needed done. The
Indians, in a way, are receiving reparations through their casinos. The
Africans were liberated and made their way and contributed in many
ways to our success. Five and six generations later, their people who
were never slaves are seeking reparations for what their ancestors,
who they never knew, went through. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese
perished at the hands of the Japanese in the 1930’s. Over six million
Jews at the hands of the Germans. Many other events of annihilation
took place throughout history. Jesus said to help our neighbors. It would
be hard to help and kill at the same time. We still have war victims and
ordinary times give us plenty of people to help as a result of flooding,
hurricanes, and tornados. We cannot forget the misery caused by
dictators. We also have people needing help because they are out
of work, out of resources and have many needs. These are the people
we are trying to help. It is an awesome responsibility, but must be
addressed and if not by us, then who? Now is the time to imitate the
good Samaritan.
Stanski
February 7, 2023
Steve Haarman 