Typically today we think in terms of nations, rather than the biblically-used Greek word ethnos. The link given is not intended to provide an exhaustive understanding of this term, nor deep interpretive understandings of how it is used in various passages or other contexts.
I am simply thinking about our need to recognize that many, if not most wars, can somehow be traced back to underlying clashes between various ethnos that continually move, intermingle, ideologically evolve, revert and more… and find themselves in a recurring or ongoing re-grouping, involving territorial governances.
While by necessity, we in these modern times generally talk about nations and governments, I think it would be short-sighted and we would have blind spots if we did not fully recognize and acknowledge this underpinning aspect.
We hear a lot today about tribalism – people(s) joined together both by genetic and/or cultural heritages/worldviews/belief systems.
We live in a messy world.
We are bombarded now with more information to sort through – and rapidly, in real time – than ever before in human history. The potential and propensity for mass casualties and mass sufferings now exists in a realm hard to fathom, fully.
Yet, the age-old War drums that have revved up time and time again between peoples and tribes since the beginning of humankind, still, sadly, seem to provide the bass notes and tones for much of all with which we do and align.
I am linking five YouTubes below that I’ve recently encountered that are on my mind. I simply want to pass these on, for thoughtful consideration and analysis…and…questions…
What is happening in our world right now is too grave of a situation for dismissals of any thoughtful voices, and for censorships. Contrary to what we have been being formed by, it is OK to embrace part of a person’s insights without all…and of course…the old adage “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” seems appropriate.
For anyone interested, The Fog of War is such a memorable documentary I have watched a number of times over the years since its making in 2003. ROBERT MCNAMARA’S FOG OF REPENTANCE
“We saw Vietnam as an element of the Cold War, not what they saw it as: a civil war. We were wrong.”
Robert Mc Namara – The Fog of War
“How much evil must we do to do good?”
Robert McNamara, The Fog of War
He told them another parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed,
which a man took and planted in his field.
Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows,
it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree,
so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
Matthew 13:31-32
Thank You For Reading
Please Feel Free To Express Your Thoughts Below
