The Gift of Life
There are so many things going on right now that bring into question the integrity of institutional groups - governments all over the world and at all levels, the military, and even churches.
Just as all individuals have dark sides so also do all institutional groups. They are, after all, created and run by individuals. Acknowledging this about our nation, our military, and our church is exceedingly difficult for many good people. We are taught from a young age to respect and obey authority. And we understand that without authority and the rule of law we would have anarchy. That is true but it is not the whole truth.
What is left out is that within each of us lives a small voice that tells us when the dark side rises up, in us or in others including these institutional groups. Listening to that small voice allows it to grow louder. Acting on the wisdom imparted by that small voice can be difficult and uncomfortable. Such action often brings ridicule and derision from others. Is that a valid excuse for doing nothing?
Gandhi once said, “You assist an evil system most effectively by obeying its orders and decrees. An evil system never deserves such allegiance. Allegiance to it means partaking of the evil. A good person will resist an evil system with his or her whole soul.”
By that standard, doing nothing makes us as guilty as those who are actively engaged in evil. Each of us is responsible for forming a “true conscience” and all the rationalization in the world will not absolve us from failing at this life long objective. It is not enough to just follow authority, we must question the authenticity of that authority, seek the truth of what we are being told, and speak out if we find it to be false. All individuals are imperfect and therefore prone to error. It does not matter what their position or title may be, no human being is exempt from mistakes – intentional or unintentional.
When we follow authority without question, we deny personal responsibility for our actions but that does not erase our accountability. It may seem easier to let someone or some group decide for us what is right and wrong but in the end, we will each stand alone, with all the rationalizations stripped away as we account for what we did or did not do with our gift of life.