by Lex Thomas
Over the past few weeks, violence has ripped through the world at a breakneck pace. National and worldwide terror events have escalated from occasional to almost daily occurrences. Broadcast media runs and re-runs reports and images 24/7. Social media is crammed with so many images of bloodshed and indignities that French officials asked the public to refrain from posting disturbing pictures and videos out of respect for the families and victims during this week’s Bastille Day attack in Nice.
According to Robin Bartlett, pastor of First Church in Sterling, the barrage of atrocities, whether within our own borders or thousands of miles away, reverberate throughout communities large and small.
“We’re fortunate to live in a safe place,” says Bartlett. “But people are waking up. People in our community and in our congregation are waking up. We have a diverse congregation in terms of theological and political perspectives. Over the past year, there’s been an incredible shift as people are becoming more aware that we can’t shut out the world.”
Bartlett points out that global violence isn’t new, but cameras, both in the hands of media and lay people, are bringing atrocities increasingly to light.
“The human species has always killed one another and lived in separation from one another,” she says. “The difference is that now we have different weapons.”
Lamenting that she is “so tired of watching bodies torn apart by bullets,” Bartlett admits that it’s difficult to not despair. “We organize prayer vigils, but prayer doesn’t work,” she says. She believes that compassion for each other and a willingness to work together to solve problems such as racism and hatred are needed.
“I meet with so many people who are suffering,” she says. “We’re all suffering, and we’re connected in our suffering.” Bartlett counsels people to think about the question: Who is my neighbor?
“A lot of people would say my neighbor’s that guy on Maple Street,” she laughs. “But in fact, every single person in the world is your neighbor.” She believes that until people begin listening to those they might not normally listen to, the violence will continue.
“What troubles me most deeply is this tendency we have to dehumanize,” she says. “When bad things happen, we look for a rap sheet or mental illness or something else to explain away a tragedy.”
When counseling people who are suffering or who are troubled by the recent spate of highly-publicized events of violence, Bartlett advises focusing on building a strong community in which everyone has a role in bringing about peace and understanding.
“We all need each other to survive,” she says, “and different people have different roles in responding to tragedies. Some organize, some educate, some sit with their despair, some make soup to bring to a friend with cancer. But we need to come together, because we all need each other.
“I really can’t imagine going through these events alone. We need one another to build communities of strength and resistance, because this isn’t going to stop. We need to build cells of resistance. We need to listen to one another.”