Search not the internet to know for whom the siren wails.

It's about me:

If John Donne were  a 21st Century American, he might very well write, ". . . search not the internet to know for whom the siren wails.  It wails for thee." A relative of mine works at UNC Charlotte, friends of mine live in that community.  What is going on in Tulsa and Charlotte is not unrelated to reality here in the quiet community I call home.  I'll not argue for one version of the facts over another.  Actions--probably actions on both sides of the horribly complicated situation are being driven not by facts (alone), but by perceptions--perceptions only partially fueled by facts.  The rest of the space is filled with inappropriate conclusions, generalizations, prejudice, fear, and anger. The perception that a portion of our population is being dealt with unjustly, by the very people they should be looking to for justice, has to be recognized and dealt with.  The perception that we cannot trust law-enforcement personnel to make good faith decisions, rather we must demand 24/7 video footage so we can make up our own mind is problematic and must be addressed.  We often miss the point of the Good Samaritan storythat Jesus told.  The story comes at the end of a dialogue between Jesus and a man who was "put[ting Jesus] to the test,"  and who had a desire to "justify himself."  His opening question to the Lord was representative of the "I'm better than these other folk because I keep the law" mentality of the religious leaders we often meet in the Gospels  (Look here for another example.)  Jesus both pointed out how utterly misdirected the man's system of righteousness was, and the impossibility of him doing, through self-effort, what he needed to "do to inherit eternal life."  The expert on the law was asking the question, "Who is my neighbor?" in order to narrow the field.  It is hard to love my neighbor my neighbor as myself. I need to make the group who are my neighbors as small as possible, hopefully limiting it to others like me.  That way, since I'm loving others who are just like me, it won't be hard for me to love them just like I love me. I figure as the man heard Jesus begin to tell about the man who was beaten and robbed that he asked, "Yes this is a veryinteresting story, but what does it have to do with my questions?"  At the end Jesus reaches across the greatest cultural divide that existed in First Century Judaism and says, "You see that Samaritan, on the far side of the cultural landscape?  He is your neighbor.  The implication being that everyone else, between me and him is my neighbor as well.  In looking for self-generated righteousness the legal expert wanted to know, in essence,  "Whom can I leave beside the road, walking by without a concern, secure in my path to eternal life--whom can I treat as a non-neighbor?" Jesus shocking answer basically meant, "Nobody. There is no one who comes into contact with you that is exempt from this obligation. We agree on the mandate to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.  You even acknowledge that you need to love your neighbor as yourself.  Here is where we disagree.  You see everyone who is different from you as a non-neighbor.  I am saying they are." I can't pick up every roadside casualty in world, but in my little spot on the globe Good Samaritan opportunities present themselves quite frequently.  Is my behavior toward my neighbor leading toward, or away from what is going on in Tulsa and Charlotte?  The siren's wail serves as a reminder. It's STTA. Click here, to find out about has been done so that each of us can have eternal life--a life begins here in this messy world, where God desires that we make a difference.