Pacifism

Before reading these articles, I thought of Pacifism as taking the easy way out. I saw it as a form of surrender because you did not want to deal with the problem. I realize now that it is probably the boldest move one could make. It's standing up for what you believe in when it comes to war.

Pacifism is about living out what Jesus believed in. I guess I would agree with Pacifism because i don't think it's right to kill a human being intentionally. Pacifism is not about surrender, and taking the easy way out. It's hard to turn the other cheek when someone has struck on the other. It's one of the first lessons Jesus taught us, to not use violence against others. "We must not return evil for evil, Jesus taught, but must return good for evil."

I think this is a great quote. It incorporates one of the best lessons taught by our savior.
We need to find a different approach other than violence, one of the articles stated that non violent protests have done much in our world and they still have that potential. In my opinion there is no "just war". It's all violence and goes against Christian teachings.

Sharing a Common Humanity

"The needs of the poor take priority over the wants of the rich." Unfortunately, I don't think most people believe in this principle. As Father Charlie Strobel explained, most have been led to believe that the poor are lazy and are in their current situation because of their own mishaps. With this kind of thinking, most people don't think that those who are poor should be given priority over those who have worked their way to being wealthy, without ever pausing to think that maybe their circumstances might have allowed them an easier shot at success. I also think that there are those who do not put that needs of the poor first because they are too busy trying to look out for themselves and their situation. There are many in this world who are only concerned with themselves and could care less about helping others get on their feet. So, the poor will remain poor and the rich will get richer. It's sad to see that our world works that way. If only we all had the insight of a child. For a child, doesn't care about money nor material things, they are only concerned with right and wrong. In the eyes of a child, social inequality would be wrong, but in our society no one really thinks of it that way. It's a way for us to keep a social structure. I think it's time to go back to seeing things from a child's viewpoint so that we can stop focusing on ourselves and just see the bigger picture.

Final Project

For my final project, I want to make a video. In high school, I always made a film for my projects so I think that would be the best way to go. I could go around LaVergne, Smyrna. I think I want to interview people concerning equality. It's just an idea. I still have to think about what concepts I want to bring into it, and how they would be conveyed. It's a work in progress.

Devoid of Simple Insight

"If will not believe, you will not abide." "Faith is not an easy or convenient path."
Heschel once again speaks to me through this book. I like these quotes not only because they speak to me but because they also speak the truth. I know this for a fact, because I am proof of it. I lost my faith for a while, not knowing where exactly I stood whenever I tried to look for God again. Throughout that time, I didn't live a faithful life, I was as Heschel says, "devoid of the simple insight." I abandoned God, which makes me feel terribly guilty when I read this book, because I have injured: He who is so anxious to forgive us, so willing to wipe away the sins of his children. Yet, I never viewed it in this perspective, I was too caught up with "living my life" to the fullest. I was preoccupying myself with frivolous things, rather then trying to figure out the most important things in my life, like finding out the true beauty of God. Heschel is right, faith is not an easy or convenient path. It is far from it. Dorothy Day also commented on this, she said that people thought that just because they went to church every sunday that they would be assured entrance into heaven. It's not that simple, you can't just go to church one day, act like you are Christian and think, Well, there's my good deed of the day. There is much more to it than that, ir's trying to change for the better. It's going to church because we want to become closer to God and learn more about it. It's about trying to find ourselves through him.

The Prophets are Scandilized

Heschel opens up his first chapter by explaining the role of the Prophet and the burdens they carry. He stats that the prophets are scandilized and rave as if the whole world were a slum. This quote made me wonder about those people who are preaching out in the streets, and we all just walk right past them thinking them to be crazed lunatics. What if they are speaking the truth and we just completely disregard it because we choose to be deaf to God's word. It was just a thought. One quote from Heschel that really stirred me was this one:
"Man is rebellious and full of iniquity, and yet so cherished is he that God, the Creator of heaven and earth, is saddened when forsaken by him." After reading this one line, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. I knew that God loved us so, but to see it in print made me really think about it.
We, as human beings, sin against God every day without even the slightest remorse or thought about it. I felt pretty terrible about it. Yet, no matter how many times we mess up, he is always willing to forgive us because his love for us is just so great. I believe that was the most influential thing I read in that chapter.