Matthew 25:35-40
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
I have had a hard time writing lately. I have words in my head and they are floating on the glassy surface of the lake made of unfortunate occurrences, sliding into the darkness, one by one. This lake, hidden behind the large giants surfacing in the forest of information surrounding it and these goliaths drowning the sound of rustling leaves and water, deep, dark, dense with truth. I cannot write, for the words have become raindrops, insignificant and bothersome and unnoticed. I feel. I feel so much and I know there is much to be done, fights to be fought, sadness to be forced out.
Upon my soul rests the truth, a small creature, curled up in fear of being called a lie, a fake, and an untruthful lion roaring at unsuspecting victims. But, it is the truth nonetheless. It exists regardless of the beliefs surrounding it. It is uniform and unyielding. It is binding, and once you know it, you cannot force it back in its hiding place. It bugs you, nicks your defenses, your armor until it cracks and leaves you vulnerable, unguarded against seeing everything, all of the truth. You are exposed to potential disagreements with your family, your long standing friends, you become an island, upholding the balance that threatens to be broken, as the surface of the dense fluid gets filled, it elevates the island higher, propelling it further into the unknown.
So to my friends, regardless of the uselessness of the words that I put on this page, do not turn your back on the facts, find them, seek them, do not ignore the world and what matters. You may be comfortable in your existence, unperturbed by the issues that others feel strongly about. If social media troubles you and annoys you, then there are other ways of finding what that pesky truth is. It is your duty, your moral obligation, as spoken by Jesus, or by the universal law of the responsibility to your fellow humans. We must not blindly trust our leaders, we must hold them responsible, and when they plant seeds of hatred and distrust they must be called out and they must be stopped.
As the ban on admitting Muslims from seven countries is put in effect for the next 120 days, including the permanent residents of the USA, who fought for the status, going through the immigration process that lasts years, being checked and re-checked, I stand confused. I do not blame those who do not know people who fall in this category. I want my friends, who know me, to reach out and ask how I feel about this. Am I scared? What am I thinking in these dark days of America? I realize how easy it would be for me to be included in this group of people who are banned; only one Muslim country away.
If you think this does not touch you, that you can ignore it and make it go away, remember, only by mere luck you are who you are. You could have been born there, or anywhere else except in America. Pictures of dead children could have been pictures of your children. You cannot afford to be ignorant about this. You cannot afford to pretend that everything is fine. You may be tired of political posts, but I have no luxury to ignore them. These new events could end up touching my family. We were lucky this time. Next time, we may not be.
How many Polish people, Germans, Serbs, ignored what was happening around them, while generations of Muslims and Jews were perishing. These are few examples in the recent history of Europe. What about Rwanda? What about Spain during the time of Franco? What about Syria, Kongo? If you are staring blank at these sentences and you are not sure what I’m talking about, go and find out. History is not linear, and it is always complex and scary.
It is your duty not to blissfully unaware. It is your duty for Jesus, for Mohammad, for God, for Gandhi, for Mandela and Dr. King. It is your duty if you are healthy, free, well fed, sheltered, and happy. It is your moral responsibility.