Listen for the voice...NO MORE

There's an art to listening and hearing. Everyone is capable of doing
it. But too many of us got bogged down in the rush of daily lives to
take the time. We are so busy trying to balance a thousand things
that often we miss the whisper. And its the whisper that carries the
most important message. Once in a while the whisper becomes a
roar. An imperceptible hum becomes a piercing ringing in our ears
until we can no longer ignore it.
Terrorism.
One word evokes so many emotional responses. At least it does now
for the American public. Now it does... since 911. Terrorism was
that imperceptible hum for many of us. We heard the stories, but
how many of us actually wrapped our brains around the facts of it?
Afterall, it wasn't happening here, but far away, and we went about
our lives feeling a false security and almost arrogance that it was
something we needn't worry about. But that was until...911.
Its now become a roar. Everyday we are confronted with the
images, the horror, the inescapable reality of it. We can't run
and hide from it any longer. It's here, it's in our faces, in our minds,
ringing in our ears.
This morning I wanted to run and hide from it. Just for a bit.
Nothing on the agenda today, I wanted to take advantage of a no
schedule day. I was having my coffee, trying to enjoy the morning
quiet before the little one woke. I usually have the television on.
I don't really watch it as much as occasionally tune in if something
catches my attention. But I just couldn't take one more pundit spin
the debates from last night. Why is it that the media thinks that we
are all such idiots that they have to tell us what we heard? Or do
they think we aren't listening? I changed the channel looking for
something that would qualify as escape. I found some remotely
amusing and benign movie and left it on, even though it was toward
the end. I don't remember now what movie it was as I went back
to my daily reading and my coffee. This is also the time of day that I
tend to have a running dialogue with God. Some people would call
it prayer. Some would call me crazy. I don't really care. I ask
questions, I ask for mercy, I pray for those who need it to have
strength to get through the day. I count my blessings as a reminder
of how fortunate I am. And I give thanks.
Somewhere along the way I noticed that a new movie had started.
At first, I didn't pay attention. But as the story unfolded , I became
entranced. The movie was from 1987. It was "The Principal", starring
James Belushi and Lou Gossett Jr. Long story short, Belushi becomes
a principal in an inner city school full of "terrorists". Lou Gossett Jr.
plays his somewhat reluctant at first but supportive alliance. Back
then we wouldn't have called them terrorists. Some people still don't
call terrorists by their proper name. But the actions were parallel,
the means to the end the same. OK, I know this is just a movie, but
I couldn't help but to see the similarities to terrorism today albeit
a much different scale.
A driving force, steps in to the status quo of accepting the atrocities
that were going on. The protocol of the time was to appease the
"bad students" so that the uneasiness wouldn't get worse.
In the beginning of his attempts, Belushi as the principal announces,
that now that he has arrived, he has one simple rule....NO MORE.
Of course the "bad students" step up their attacks, singling out an
innocent teacher, and then another student trying to break away
and do the right thing. Heartbreaking attacks designed to break the
spirit of Belushi, and put fear into the other teachers and students
so that they protest Belushi's efforts. Who does he think he is
coming into this school and trying to change the scenery?
But Belushi's character is committed. He gets beaten, he agonizes
over the ones that suffer the attacks. But he doesn't quit and lives
by his mantra of NO MORE. As the movie winds to its close,
NO MORE wins out. Well kinda. Outside a fence the scene
shows there are more challenges to keeping the NO MORE rule.
But its message is clear. NO MORE.
I know many of you are wondering what I am doing today. Isn't this
supposed to be a good news blog? Well the good news today is that
there are real life heroes, ready and willing to take a stand and say ...
NO MORE. It's a difficult commitment one that will be met with
protest, one that at times will seem too daunting to win, one that will
challenge the will of us all. But all you have to do is look back on some
of the people that I've written about here on this blog. They are all
heroes standing up to say NO MORE. As more of us reach out and
join, stubbornly and defiantly holding onto one another's hands,
we will be heard. They will have to listen and hear our once
imperceivable hum as it grows into a roar.
NO MORE.
And for that I give thanks.
God bless us all.