Pearl Harbor Day

I just finished reading an editorial about the lesson that Pearl Harbor Day should teach us. The author's conclusion was that we can never forget that there is the possibility we will be attacked; he also made a point of mentioning the need for strong intelligence (presumably in the sense that uses spies as well as the one that uses gray matter).

While I agree that national security is extremely important, I can't help but remember another lesson that learning about Pearl Harbor taught me. Even a country that was founded on principles of justice and equality is capable of throwing civil rights out the window in a crisis. Being Japanese-American, learning about Pearl Harbor was always awkward for me (not just because boys in my class said rude things to me on those days), but because I knew that in the months that followed somewhere around 110,000 Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps. The tragedy of having their country attacked was topped with the insult of being told that it they didn't count as Americans anyway.

To be fair, my grandparents have never said a bitter word about this. But I grew up with an uneasy feeling that if it could happen so recently, what's to stop the government from doing something like that again? In the days after the 9/11 Attacks I mourned along with the rest of the country, but I also prayed that the rights of Arab-Americans would not be taken away. There have certainly been plenty of stories of hate crimes and wrongful imprisonment of Muslims and Arab-Americans since then. I am still sickened by the knowledge that inaccurate accusations that Barack Obama is an Arab and a Muslim were seen by many as legitimate concerns. As if we don't have millions of honest Arab and Muslim citizens in this country.

Interestingly enough, today it will be announced that Eric Shinseki will be the secretary of veteran affairs. On the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, a Hawaiian born Japanese-American will be named as part of the Obama administration. I read today that he was the first Asian-American to be named a four-star general, which just shows you how slow our country has been to integrate even Asian-Americans into top ranks (and the Asians are generally considered "almost white" anyway). It seems fitting, although perhaps a little awkward.

I am hopeful, because we keep moving inch by inch toward racial and cultural equality, but this journey requires just as much constant vigilance as the endeavor to keep our country safe. And the two goals need not be mutally exclusive.

Oprah and Jesus

I am watching Oprah, which is something I don't often do. I was a loyal Oprah viewer for years, but I stopped when she started really freaking me out with The Secret. Today I was suckered in because the Jon and Kate Plus Eight family was on for the first part. Now she's talking about A New Earth.

It always amazes me how many authors write books that basically tell us stuff that we could get from reading the Bible, but completely divorced from Christianity. Now, I am a believer that truth is found all over the place, and that we can find points of intersection between Christianity and a whole host of religions and philosophies. When new books like this come out, though, I kind of want to say, "Duh, we've been saying that for like 2,000 years" (and the Jews have been saying it even longer, and actually I'm pretty sure lots of other religions have been saying this stuff too). This woman on Oprah just said that she finally understood 1 Corinthians 13 - love is about getting over your ego and getting out of the way. Maybe she would have understood that sooner if we didn't reduce so much of scripture to either fuzzy words or condemnation.

People want to believe in redemption and renewal. I do understand the impulse to steer clear of a set religion, because so often religions oppress, judge, demand, condemn, etc. On her show, Oprah occasionally mentions Jesus, but more often she offers a brand of spirituality that is about making the world a better place in whatever way that means for you. No doubt a whole lot of good has been done in the world because of Oprah's influence (along with a good deal of conspicuous consumption). What the Oprah phenomenon tells me is that people want to make the world better, but they don't want to be told that they have to do it a certain way.

I think Christians can glean some insight from this if we try. God works in a lot of different ways, so I think that any movement that makes people try to do good is a good thing. The question is, how can we do a better job of meeting spiritual seekers where they are, and helping them to know God's love as they explore their purpose?

One Step Closer

I think someday I will tell my kids about tonight.

I grew up hearing about the civil rights movement of the 60's, about the fight for women's rights, and about the power of the people to change injustice. I grew up wanting to change the world, not so that I could say that I changed the world, but because there is so much injustice in this world that needs to be changed. I have been frustrated for years because I wanted to fight for justice and peace, and then when I started to find ways it didn't seem possible to make a difference. I was told that I could do anything, but still the leadership of this country and many other institutions (like the church) is white, male, and older. I became an adult during a time when I couldn't find any politicians who spoke for me (or to me).

But tonight, as I waited to hear Barack Obama speak, the weight this historic moment hit me. We might actually have a person of color become president. And he's a hapa (a half-white person)! This is a candidate who is reaching out to the young, and a democrat reaching out to progressive evangelicals. He is someone who says he wants a united and empowered American people. I'm not sure I can articulate what this means to me, but I do know that it is a very significant step toward real racial equality. This is the kind of progress that I have been yearning for. This doesn't mean that Barack Obama should be elected just because he's black, but it is cause for celebration.

I am grateful that I benefit from the strides made toward racial and gender equality, and tonight I am hopeful that I will see many more steps in the right direction.

Cool Commercial

I missed this commercial last night, but its pretty cool.

Is (red) the new black?

During my tour of Robben Island, I found myself standing in a courtyard next to a picture of Mandela standing in that very same courtyard. I turned to Kate and said excitedly, "Nelson Mandela stood right here!" Of course it seemed immediately weird to me that I was standing in a place with such a dark history, acting like...a twelve year old at a Justin Timberlake concert.

In a culture where fascist regimes are reduced to action movie premises, and (Product) Red makes charity a fashion statement, I couldn't help but wonder if my passion for justice is fueled in part by the whole do-good fad.

But as I sat on a plane headed back the states, I remembered going to DC with my family in third or fourth grade. I stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and thought to myself, Martin Luther King Jr. stood right there!

In the movie Adaptation, a character says, "It isn't who loves you that's important. Its who you love." As little kids we love people who represent things that impress us. When we get older we often chose heroes who impress other people. We pride ourselves on being hip or well-read or socially aware enough to admire so-and-so.

As a little kid, I admired MLK because he was brave and important and fought for civil rights in a way that is counter-intuitive to most people. As an adult, having heroes needs to amount to more than buying a Mandela t-shirt (which I did). The stories or our heros should challange us to look around and find ways to live out those characteristics that we appreciate. Otherwise, you're just another fan.

Oppression

The Global Young Peoples’ Convocation has been awesome. It hasn’t been anything flashy (although the hotel is pretty nice), but we’ve had good speakers, and the focus has really been on finding our voice as young people. Meanwhile, some random things have happened. I chipped a tooth on a peach pit yesterday. I ran into and have been hanging out with Susie Barr-Wilson, who worked at Camp in 2001.

Once again, I am being told to wait. One of the speakers preached on Acts 2, and talked about how when the Holy Spirit came to the believers in Jerusalem, it gave the people a new talkativeness, a new liveliness, and a new fearlessness. Again, I am feeling God pushing me to be bolder, braver and more vocal. But then, at the end of her message, she said, “But don’t just go and tell the church that you’re here to do this work. Wait in Jerusalem. Let the Holy Spirit come upon you and fill you with a new talkativeness, a new liveliness, and a new fearlessness.” So… where is my Jerusalem?

We have gone to several museums and visited ministries, and there has been a lot of talk about peace and justice. Today one of the speakers was giving a talk about the Biblical foundations for Social Justice and Advocacy. He paused after speaking and forgiveness and reconciliation, and announced that “Just moments ago, Saddam Hussein was hanged to death.” He commented briefly on our sadness when any member of the human race suffers. I’m so relieved that he responded that way, because I don’t believe taking a life can bring healing to the victims. When we loose sight of the humanity of one person (even one who has done as many horrible things as Hussein), we lose a piece of our humanity. We separate ourselves from the fact that we too have oppressed and hurt and abused. And we have allowed it to happen.

I read recently that the Boers in South Africa were mistreated and put down under the British colonial rule. The Boer response was an Afrikaner pride movement that led up to Apartheid. I learned today that during the Anglo-Boer War, concentration camps were used to hold Boer women and children, and many died there. (Africans were also held in camps, although not as many). Oppression begets oppression, and until we find a way to end oppression, there will always be terrorism and violence and more oppression. Why don’t people get this?