Musings About Syria

There is an awful lot of Monday Morning Quarterbacking going on in this country right now. Nearly everyone seems to have a firm opinion about what should be done about Syria; nearly everyone has a different opinion about the veracity of the evidence of chemical weapons use; nearly every politician I've seen on television seems to be focused on how their potential vote will impact their political careers rather than on trying to figure out what is right or wrong, and nearly every person out there knows Exactly What Catastrophe Will Occur if their particular strategy  isn't the one that wins out. I have spent a lot of time reading blogs, watching testimony, checking the news and trying to find out what others who share my faith are saying. So it comes down to this:

I really have no clear idea or opinion. Except that this is really hard.

The issue is really complex, and full of cultural history that is beyond me, and regional political currents that are unknown. So I am trying to approach this issue, like I try to approach everything, through the lenses of my faith and my values.

So to begin my own musing, I need to say that I deplore what has been happening in Syria. Chemical weapons or conventional weapons--the outcome is the same. People are dying. A few are dying for a cause, but many, many more are dying simply because they are in the way. I would like to find some way to stop this. To finally put an end to the fighting so that we can begin to really care for the children who are refugees, for the parents of those children who have no idea what the future will be (or if there will be one), for the people who are homeless, hurt, heartsick, and just want to go to work each day and come home to a, well, a home with a roof, and no bullet holes in the walls. I want the war, sectarian violence, civil war, regional conflict or whatever label you prefer, to end.

Chemical weapons are deeply concerning. To kill so many of your own citizens, to care more about winning a battle or war than doing what is most right for the people of your own country: this is simply taking bullying to a level of evil that is hard for me to comprehend. I saw pictures of dead infants. They had no chance. This is heartbreaking. But would military strikes in retaliation do anything to stop the use of chemical weapons? Or would military strikes just leave more bodies to mourn?

I know what I wish. And I wish this, not as a fantasy, but because I wish the world would work this way. I want a Star Trek approach. I know I'm a geek, but this is exactly why I like Star Trek--it envisions a the possibility that we as human beings will evolve beyond violence, and this is what I mean by a Star Trek approach:  Phasers set on stun.  Weapons that destroy without killing. Weapons that disable weapons that do kill. Can you imagine? We find out where the weapons depots are (for any side), and drop a bunch of gook on them that disables them, makes them impossible to use. Chemical weapons made harmless. Bullets melted into a mess that won't fit in the barrel of a gun or cannon.

I suppose this is also a very old dream:  that we might bend our spears into pruning hooks and our swords into plowshares.

I don't know what should be done about Syria. But I know what I hope: that, soon, the killing, the dying, the hating will stop, and that healing, building and creating will begin again. That's the resolution that I pray for.

Somthing about me...

Today is my second (official) day of work as the interim Chaplain at Otterbein University. I’ve met a bajillion staff members (in round numbers), and have been introduced to about 12 students so far. I only remember one name. Oops. Some of my encounters have been easy, comfortable; with others, I‘ve felt a little like the aunt you only see every other summer (unfamiliar, but someone you’re supposed to be happy to see). So, for this first blog post, I will tell you a bit about me. I may still be a stranger, but at least you’ll know something about me while I am learning about you.

I grew up in Bowling Green, Ohio. My dad was on the faculty at BGSU (Industrial Organizational Psychology), and my mom was a perpetual motion volunteer for nearly every organization. I have two older brothers, and two older sisters, with a big gap between them and me. My mom was 43 when I was born. I frequently have nightmares in which I am the mother of a six year old, and then I call my mom and thank her.

I am married. My husband, Eric is a musician, and my Very Best Friend. We have three kids who are Practically Perfect. Heather is a graduate of BGSU and is a theatre educator in Rhode Island. She is married to Josh, who is a tech theatre director at a private school. Emily is a junior at BGSU in nursing. Wesley is in eighth grade. My kids have been a huge influence. Because of them, I became a fan of Firefly, Doctor Who, and Marvel Comics movies (Iron Man is my favorite), and listen to Ben Folds, Ingrid Michaelson, Mumford & Sons and other various and lesser known artists. I also like Irish music, jazz, classical, and other various friends and mutants.

I am an ordained United Methodist minister. I went to Boston University and graduated in 1993 with a Masters in Divinity with a focus on campus ministry. I was ordained a deacon in 1993 and an elder in 1995. I served as a youth pastor, a co-pastor, an associate pastor and as a solo pastor. Somewhere around 2005, I realized that I had been appointed farther and farther away from the college campus, so I began to explore the possibility of going back to school. This past May I graduated from Ohio State with a PhD in Higher Education, which means I have a license to be pretentious about a couple of things, and am very passionate about others.

I like color, and silliness, and whimsy. My spirituality reflects this, and I connect with God through stories, music, art, and community. I am a Christian, but i really want to be everyone’s chaplain. I believe the goal of the chaplain is to give you the tools you need to be a better whatever you are. So if you're Muslim, Jewish, Agnostic, or None, I will do everything I can to help you find what you need. If you’ve the need to talk, to be still, to be heard, to blow bubbles or play with silly putty, my office is open. I will always have meatloaf and salad available (and the stories to explain that)!!

One of my jobs this year is to find out what the Otterbein University community wants in a chaplain, so I hope to talk with lots of people in the first few months. Don’t be surprised if I show up to practice, or rehearsal, or class or the cafeteria to get to know you and get a sense of the place. I've heard wonderful things about the students here. One administrator came to work for a couple of years but stayed decades because of Otterbein students. That's pretty impressive!

This blog will be for whatever seems to be in my mind in any given week. Some of it will be serious, some will be fairly silly. I really do hope for your feedback, and am looking forward to meeting you in person. Peace to you!