Questioning an Attack on Syria

As the last of four children I had to learn early in life that pacifism was not always a bad thing.  As the skinniest kid in my class, I also learned that it might be wiser and safer to outsmart my opponents, make friends with bullies, and sometimes walk the other way when I saw danger. I am aware, also, that sometimes bullies do need confrontation and sometimes I might have to defend myself physically. 

At Sunday School, I learned about some sayings of Jesus.  I knew that turning the other cheek was a virtue, that loving my enemies was not an option, and that going the extra mile was something I ought to be willing to do when necessary.

My understanding of the ways of Jesus confound me today.

Atrocities of war are all around us.  Today I see images of children suffering and dying in Syria from chemical warfare.  As gruesome and revolting as these are, I still have to wonder if bombing  Syria would only add to the misery. I wonder who to trust in deciding who had these weapons.  I  also wonder where the concern is for children who are starving, who are homeless here and around the world, or who are victims of domestic violence and abuse in many places.   Where is the outrage about how violence affects children in the streets of Kiev, or the homeless boys and girls in Ecuador, or the girls and boys who are trafficked for illicit sex to our own country?

Yes, I am outraged by the exploitation of innocent victims, many of them children, in Syria, and Afghanistan, and Iraq, and wherever there is violence.   But I cannot for the life of me see how bombing more sites and the “collateral” damage, i.e. death of innocent children (which we may not hear reported in our news media for some time) will help bring about the peace and safety we seek for all our children.

The bombing and airstrikes may occur soon.  And perhaps there will be some positive result that I cannot imagine.  I will happily eat my words and change my opinion.   I know the arguments:  “Someone had to stand up to Hitler and force his hand….someone had to put Idi Amin out of power…someone had to stand up to slavery in the U.S. and stop it…” And those arguments are just.  And I am glad for the final results of all those noble efforts to confront evil, tragic as the loss of innocent life may have been in most of those cases.

John F. Kennedy’s undelivered speech in Dallas, Texas, contained these words: “We are the watchmen on the walls of freedom.  We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility; that we may achieve in our time and for all time, the ancient vision of peace on earth, good will to men.   That must always be our goal, and the righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength.”

It is becoming increasingly difficult for us to be the watchmen on the walls of freedom in every corner of the world.   We should expose every crack in that wall and every damage to it.  The question is how do we restore every wall?  And how do we enable others to do that when we cannot?   Can we be the watchmen, but not always the repairmen?

Is the attack on Syria really a punishment of another dictator, or an introduction of more troubles for innocent citizens?  Is this the way toward peace, or an ill fated trip to save the reputation of the United States?