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Jewish World Review March 16, 2011 / 10 Adar II, 5771 Simon Bolivar Would Tell Glenn Beck to, ‘Put A Sock In It’ By Alan Douglas
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
When faced with disasters or puzzles we all try to understand the meaning of life. It surely can't be random patterns. People yearn for those answers deep within our soul, seek explanations and reassurance. After Katrina decimated New Orleans we heard it was divine vengeance. Now, Glen Beck tells us the earthquakes and tsunami that killed thousands could also be the Lord's work. Glen Beck has a lot in common with my mother.
My mother was convinced that bathrooms are death pits. She discouraged guests in her home from using her facilities, not due to privacy or hygiene concerns. She wanted to save them from meeting the grim reaper. She vividly recalled seeing my father, who was in perfect health; die in the bathroom. Her brother also died in a bathroom. "Every time someone goes in my bathroom, I worry" my mother lamented, adding, "I just don't want it to happen again." My argument to her, in defense of bathrooms around the world, was not persuasive. I counseled, "The bathroom was not at fault; it didn't cause anyone to die." "Elvis died in the bathroom," my mother countered. My mother's fears and Glen Beck's warnings are not without precedent.
In Cairo, Egypt a large statue of a homely man dressed in an eighteenth century military uniform, complete with saber, dominates one of the bustling city squares. It is Liberation Square. Venezuela honored Simon Bolivar, their founding father and the liberator of many South and Central American nations, by giving the Egyptian people this statue. Simon Bolivar is world-renowned. Bolivia was named after him. Even more prestigious, a town in West Virginia, Bolivar, immortalizes the man and has a statue similar to the one in Cairo. The rugged, individualistic mountaineers of West Virginia felt a kinship to Bolivar and his battles against the big city boys. When I was in Caracas, Venezuela, the guide there informed me of the story behind one of that city's town squares. It was one of thousands of town squares name, "Bolivar Square" just as we have a zillion Washington Streets in the United States. But this particular piece of real estate, this Bolivar Square, actually had a tale to tell.
When Bolivar was fighting the Spanish to liberate Venezuela there was a terrible earthquake. It was responsible for many deaths and much destruction. In the midst of all of their grief, the people of Venezuela sought relief through their misery. The Spanish priests warned the people that earthquakes which brought with them death and destruction were a sign from G-d. The people had sinned by rebelling against the church, as well as their rulers. The priests said that G-d, as he had done before in the bible, was punishing them for their sins. G-d was showing them the errors of their destructive ways. G-d was also urging them to return to the path of righteousness in hopes of avoiding his wrath. They urged the people to stop their fighting and, instead, accept the authority of the Lord, the church, and the government of Spain. It is not surprising that many were convinced to lay down their weapons and repent. Democracy and the rebellion were at risk.
Simon Bolivar heard of the sermon and immediately traveled to the heart of the destruction. Amid the crumbled buildings of this town square in Caracas he assembled the people. He gave a speech. Bolivar told the crowd to look around them and make up their own minds. Was their G-d a G-d who would destroy both good and evil in an earthquake? Would he really kill innocent children? And pointing to the rubble that once was a church, Bolivar challenged, "Why were the churches destroyed if G-d was sending a sign?" He urged the people to reject this superstition. He accused the Spanish of promoting superstition to manipulate and control the people of Venezuela. He strongly believed in a person's faith in, not fear of, G-d. He, too, believed they should acquire faith in themselves as well as their future. He cautioned that independence carries with it the burden of thinking.
Bolivar was successful in convincing the crowd that the earthquake was simply that, an earthquake and nothing more. It was a bad thing, yes, but it was not some type of divine punishment. That day, he rallied for support of the revolution and independence by opposing superstition. Disasters, natural or personal, will always test one's faith. We, as beings, seek comfort, and comfort is only found when explanations are given to us. But a nation's independence, and individual independence of thought, are essential concepts when regarding the truth. If Bolivar he and my mother could talk about bathrooms.
There are times in everyone's life when we see patterns of peril and an ominous natural threat aimed at us. We watch as others, less talented, not as ethical, or filled with meanness, pass us by. We are haunted by our own past failures and feel doomed. There is so much we have all done wrong and much that we have all screwed up. We bear witness to amazing opportunities we had once, which we failed to capitalize on. But now, stop it. Put those thoughts aside. Stop your weeping and woeful thoughts and take a moment to claim the right of survivorship.
We, as a people, are older, wiser, and much, much more wary. Despite the personal devastation and chaos that encumber our lives, we are still here. Our hurts and harm aside, we have built "buildings," with our own sweat, blood, smiles, and tears that were strong enough to withstand the earthquakes of life. Our friendships, love, good deeds, and professional accomplishment have all survived somehow and, in turn, continue to illuminate our lives. Earthquakes are, without a doubt, a tragedy, but they are in no way a sign of G-d's discontent with us. There is no target pinned on our back. A natural disaster does not automatically mean that G-d no longer loves us. The injustice of a jerk getting a promotion or of our losing the one we love is not G-d's plan. Those are human, not divine, misdeeds. One of the lessons I have learned throughout my life is that we must, at some time live with fear and failure. The meaning of one's faith is our strength, while what we fear is within our weakness. Earthquakes should be feared, and maybe so should bathrooms…but not because they strike down sinners. The Reverend Billie Sunday said, "I could not abide by a G-d who does not smite!" But no matter how, or who, you worship, do not use natural disasters that kill innocents to prove your own point of view using the Lord. It besmirches and degrades any deity. Simon Bolivar would have told Glen Beck, "Put a sock in it" and so should you.
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JWR contributor Alan Douglas, an author, media executive, speaker, and attorney, lives con brio- except when he is grumpy.
Children and Grandchildren
© 2010 Alan Douglas
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Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||||
