WWJD: the Crisis

Refugee:
Noun
A person who flees for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc.

One would truly have to live under a rock, in the current state of affairs, to have not heard about what is being called a "refugee crisis," wherein, as of July 2015 an estimated 4,000,000 (four million) Syrians have been displaced and fled the country, according to the UNHCR, or the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The reason for this crisis is mainly due in part to a bloody civil war that has torn the country into three different factions: territories controlled by the current political regime, rebel fighters, and Islamic extremists. This civil war had it's roots going as far back as 2006, however it is widely accepted that the official start of the war was in 2011. Between 2011 and 2013 an estimated 100,000 civilian casualties have been recorded, and many of the countries cities and towns have been ravaged and are no longer inhabitable. Understandably, these Syrian people had to leave their country.

Up until October of this year, less than 2,000 Syrian refugees have been allowed into the United States. However, in September, President Obama announced his plan to increase that number to at least 10,000, a number that pales in comparison to the aforementioned 4,000,000 refugees. Overall, our response to this historical crises has been lackluster to say the least, and despicable to say the most. The United States has the highest number of people who identify as Christians in the world (my source for this appears to be outdated although it's meaning is not lost). Of the Christian citizens in the United States, a majority of them have historically voted Republican, or leaned towards conservativism; this is no great surprise or revelation to anyone living in the United States. It is with that in mind, however, that I have turned my attention towards Republican representatives, most notably Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush, who have been vocally opposed to President Obama's announcement to accept more refugees into the United States. In a survey done by CNN in September, a majority of conservatives opposed allowing refugees to enter the United States (55%).

While I have no statistics to prove what I've observed, I can only imagine that the number opposed has increased in light of the terrorist attacks that took place in Paris, France, on the evening of November 13th, this year, 2015. Additionally, 24 different Governors have taken explicit steps towards the prevention of refugees being accepted into their states; only one of these Governors is a Democrat. As I have previously stated, a majority of Conservative Republicans identify as Protestant Christians, So, correct me if I'm wrong, but what I'm seeing here is that Christians don't want Syrian refugees in the United States. But why?

In no uncertain terms I will tell you that the number one reason Christians don't want refugees in our country is fear. The Lord did indeed give us a spirit of fear, and we're using it to the fullest extent. We're afraid for our homes, our families, our way of life, and our security. That, mixed with a heaping helping of ignorance about the M word (yes that's right, Muslims) and how they are, in general, bad people, has created the notorious love child that only fear and ignorance can: hatred. The United States, after all, the golden calf we have come to know and love, cannot survive in it's current state if we submit and grant these "refugees" (read: terrorists) passage into our land of milk and honey, right?

Sarcasm aside, American Christians need to take a long, hard, introspective journey and open their Bibles in search of guidance. Should we love our enemies? Should we give them water to drink if they are thirsty and food if they are hungry? Can we continue to say "I love God" but turn and hate our brothers and sisters? Should we give to everyone who begs of us? Should we turn away people in need or will we make room in the stable? Will be oppress the poor and insult our Maker, or will we be generous to the needy and honor Him? Are we ready to reap what we're sowing? I ask these questions on the pretense that these refugees are indeed our enemies, because apparently that's how many people view them, but they aren't. Not in my eyes, at least. Maybe I'm a fool, maybe I'm ignorant, or maybe I'm not.

I know not everyone shares my sentiment, but I find it heartbreaking when I think of the hundreds upon thousands of men, women, and children, who are not only in desperate need of shelter, food, and clothing, but the grace of God that we have so selfishly harbored in our borders. Is our pride too great to recognize our duty as Christians to be the light of the world? Is our fear a lack of trust in the sovereignty of Christ or is it simply a symptom of never having really trusted in Him to begin with? Are we willing to sacrifice our humanity for our security? Is it the Christian inside us that refuses to acknowledge what is right, or is it the American?

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7-8

The Existential Crisis

Slouching unenthusiastically in the booth seat, I read through the same Facebook feed I had looked at relentlessly for a glimmer of entertainment for the past 20 minutes one last time before relinquishing my iPhone and placing it on the table. It was a tired routine that many are familiar with, the endless search for a satisfactory distraction to distance themselves from the pangs of the real world. Emotions, relationships, eye contact: they all seem so overbearing when paralleled with the pixels on a screen and the simplicity of egotism; life's easier when you only care about yourself.

I suppose that due to my lackluster expression and posture, a little girl, who had been sitting a table away from me, came under the assumption that I was waiting for something or someone. Having the bravery of a child she approached me. "Hey kiddo," I said, unsure of her intentions.
"What are you waiting for?" She had a half smile and a distinct spark of curiosity in her eyes.
It was a simple question, but I suddenly felt the world around me rush out of focus. Eyes widening in amazement, I sat in shock as I felt the friction on the tectonic plates in my soul suddenly release, and the tremors pulverized the immaterial walls around my heart. Unable to muster up an answer to the question, the girl lost interest and wandered off. What am I waiting for? Is it a person? Is it an event? I knew I was unhappy and I didn't know why; I knew something was wrong and I didn't know what. It haunted me.

Of course, after that split second of confusion and questioning my entire existence, I realized what she meant. How silly of me. I've come to terms with the fact that it isn't really the question itself though, but it's about how we respond. That feeling she gave me in the moment went away but the question still remained, and I didn't really have a response for myself, and it wasn't just because I wasn't *actually* waiting on anything; I was definitely waiting on something. I guess more than anything, to me, the question turned out to be rhetorical. The real heart of it lied in the fact that I shouldn't be waiting on anything at all.

It's all terribly cliche and cheesy, but for a split second, I really did have my own little existential crisis. Everything in my life hit a stone wall and I felt unable to explain who I was or what I was doing with my life, all because a kid thought I looked bored. Life is a very long ordeal: it's the longest thing we'll ever experience. Regardless, this is no reason to waste it. If you're waiting on someone or something to come into your life to make it better, you've forgotten that you are your own plot device. You, and sometimes you alone, have the power to set into action a rich and meaningful life. The idea that you are important enough to be the main character of somebody else's book isn't just selfish, but dumb. There are billions of individuals on this planet, and you are only one of them.

I know I told you earlier that living is easier when you only care about yourself, but to be completely honest, that was a half truth. Living a life where you only care about yourself is hardly a life at all. I will personally guarantee you right now that, the next time you're at lunch or dinner or a coffee date (aka maybe right now), if you will put down your phone and look the beautiful person across from you in the eyes, you will find more enjoyment in them than you would in the black hole of attention called your phone, and if you don't let me know and I will drive to your house and give you a hug. Escape from the harshness of reality and the difficulty of human interaction is in the palm of your hand, and if you choose to surrender the moment you're in to that fancy screen you will never get it back. So, instead, face the challenge head on and be the best "you" that you can be. Living is hard, and anybody who tells you otherwise hasn't tried it yet. It's hard and it's wonderful and it's yours for the taking.

You're doing drugs, kids

"Weed isn't a drug." The words burst proudly from her lips so matter-of-factually that I knew immediately how strongly she believed in them. "It can't be a drug because it's a plant."

Dumbfounded, I replied "If parts of plants can't be drugs than I guess opium isn't either. Do you even know what opium is?" I didn't need to wait for her response; her expression revealed her ignorance. At that time I simply opened Google Chrome on my phone and showed her the definition of a drug. "A medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body." Despite the presence of evidence that refuted her claims, she seemed unwilling to believe. This proved, in my own mind, that not only was this 15 year old girl lighting up in her free time, but she was being lied to about what she was really doing, or even worse, she was just lying to herself about it.

This is not a long blog post about marijuana. I'm not here to mindlessly spout my (relatively worthless) opinion concerning weed. I did not come here today to wax eloquent explaining various viewpoints on the topic of recreational drug use. Nope. Wrong-o. I just want you all to know that cannabis is indeed a drug, and the fact that it's a plant does nothing to change that. Just like some poisons, snakes, and death, it's completely natural. It is also a drug. Don't tell yourself it isn't a drug, because you're wrong. Don't tell other kids it's not a drug, because you'd be wrong. Don't let anyone else tell you that it's not a drug, because, yup, you guessed it, wrong again. Furthermore, and more importantly, little kids shouldn't be doing drugs. In my mind, you're a bunch of babies sucking on bongs when you should still be begging your mommy in the cereal isle as Wal-Mart for chocolate pebbles instead of rice crispies.

So, everybody, this has been my PSA to all the youth of America: if you smoke weed, you're doing drugs. Also, as a side note, I'd really appreciate it if whoever is telling kids that weed isn't a drug would stop doing so immediately. This young girl, as dumb as she may be, was only 15 years old, and I can guarantee you with every ounce of confidence th.at I have that she would better benefit from doing her homework and having a reasonable bed time than from getting stupid on the weekends with her stupid pothead friends. Honestly, to me, it's pretty depressing to know that a bunch of young kids are out making terrible life decisions right now when I know deep down in my heart that they should be at home, not making their parents ashamed of them, or wondering when they last time they fed their Neopet was.


So yeah, the end. Don't do drugs, kids