Today at Mass the Gospel reading was the parable about the rich man suffering in hell while the poor beggar is at peace in the bosom of Father Abraham. The priest asks each one of us to tell another person when the moment we first became aware of the fate of people facing poverty and rejection. As I was stories with another person, I suddenly became aware that the awareness of poor and marginalized, if we truly are followers of the Way of Jesus, stays with us always and the more aware we become the more rejection we suffer.
The other day I was reflecting on how I first became aware of “white privilege”. Today I realized that discrepancy of opportunities available to me and to others are still with me but have grown deeper as I have got to know people living in pain, rejection and poverty.
To be at peace with this awareness of rejection, poverty and suffering is difficult. We can put it aside, numb ourselves to these feelings or accept them as part of living a Christian life and find peace in being in solidarity with marginalized, poor and those in pain.
Making peace with rejection, poverty and suffering is not an easy task. But we must believe that picking up this cross will mean life everlasting. Living with Rejection can pay off.
While waiting for a friend to be released from jail for a nonviolent action today, I write this reflection. More on the nonviolent action after he is released.
In September, 1968, the USA, to our knowledge, was bombing one country, Vietnam. Through the selective service system young men were being drafted into the military and being sent to Vietnam to “kill or be killed.” 20% of officers in the military were being trained in military training programs at many local colleges and universities.
In September, 2016, the USA is bombing nine countries and is contributing weapons and training to countries and rebel groups all over the world. The Selective service does not draft young men any longer. The military has adopted education as its recruiting tool. Young men and women of age 18–25, when part of their brain, the part that assets risk and consequences, is not fully developed, are being recruited by offers of jobs and education. Due to advanced technology of killing, less men and women are needed in military. Now 80% of military officers are being trained at fewer universities around the country.
All colleges and universities, except pacifist ones, are required by law to offer military recruiting training to any interested student in order to receive Federal grants of any type. However, only universities that are selected by the Department of Defense and volunteer to do so, have military training programs (ROTC, NROTC and AFROT) on campus. Military recruits from all other colleges and universities in the region are transported to these few universities that ‘host” these Departments of Defense (DoD) on campus. Schools that host the military are well compensated by the Department of Defense and credits earn in the Departments of Army, Navy/Marines or Air Force are transferred to home school of the recruit. For example, Marquette University host military training for 17 or so Colleges and Universities in Southeast Wisconsin. Now 80% plus of officers in military are trained in military programs at few local colleges and universities.
With the military training now focus on fewer schools the training has become more intense on training “to kill or be killed”. For example, after World War II it was discovered that only 25% of American Soldiers actually fire weapons at the enemy to kill. Though the study of brain science and using simulated technology game training (like killing video games pioneered by US military) the “shoot to kill” ratio is now over 95%. The consequence of this type of training, called in some military circles, as ‘reflexive killing’ has been devastating on young men and women recruited in Military. As CPT Pete Kilner, instructor at the U.S. Military Academy said to the Joint Services Conference on Professional Ethics in Washington, DC in January 2000: “Soldiers are conditioned to act without considering the moral repercussions of their actions; they are enabled to kill without making the conscious decision to do so. … Battles are won by killing the enemy, so military leaders should strive to produce the most efficient killers. The problem, however, is that soldiers who kill reflexively in combat will likely one day reconsider their actions reflectively. If they are unable to justify to themselves the fact that they killed another human being, they will likely—and understandably—suffer enormous guilt. This guilt manifests itself as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and it has damaged the lives of thousands of men who performed their duty in combat.” The suicide rate of veterans, about 22 per day, is tragic consequence of this type of “reflexive killing.”
In September, 1968, I participated in the “Milwaukee 14” nonviolent action, destroying 1A selective service draft records to stop “kill or be killed”. Today as Jesuit trained Catholic and Christian I again feel compelled to stop the new selective service system, military training (ROTC) at Marquette. No matter how much money, honor or glory Marquette receives from the US government to teach war and killing as Christians we must say No to Marquette hosting the Department of Defense on campus. St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, a soldier who laid down his weapons to be a companion of Jesus, calls to us to reject riches, honor or glory and to be in solidarity with the poor and to practice the nonviolent love of Gospel, to love even our enemies. If Marquette will not stop teaching war and killing by no longer hosting the Department of Defense on campus we must do it with our nonviolent love and action.
