According to the Christian calendar, Christmas Day marks the end of Advent and the beginning of the 12-day Christmas season where “peace on earth” and “good will” are held up as real possibilities. Since this column will be published the day after Christmas, I wish to explore the kind of peace many of us yearn for as we face such pain and violence in today’s world.
In 2014, the late theologian Walter Brueggeman published an adult Advent study that sheds light on why peace remains so elusive in our human society. In his class handout on the “Prince of Peace,” he contrasts a peace achieved by a victorious king or warrior with a peace that is wrought in vulnerability – a kind of peace “that does not seek to impose its own way.”
From his Biblical understanding, Brueggeman states that peace requires…
- The capacity to forgive
- A readiness to share generously
- The violation of strict class stratification in society
- Attentiveness to the vulnerable and the unproductive
- Humility in the face of exaltation
- Being last among those who insist on being first
- Denying self in the interest of the neighbor
Brueggeman concludes that, “…the empire, in its refusal of the things that make for peace, generates a society of hostility, aggression, greed, conflict and violence.” Sound familiar?
It is the ultimate hypocrisy that Donald J. Trump has attached his name to the United States Institute of Peace and feels deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize when his administration’s policies are diametrically opposed to peace. The cruel, intentional disruption of our federal government by current Republican leadership has delivered us a more uncertain and dangerous world in only one year’s time.
Threats to international peace seem to be multiplying daily, but the absence of war or conflict is not the kind of peace Brueggeman suggests we pursue. We must seek peace among family and neighbors, peace among a diversity of communities, and peace among economic competitors. Here are some ideas:
- Imagine that we forgave all the undocumented immigrants who are not criminals and designed a merciful path to citizenship, resulting in greater prosperity for all residents of this country.
- Imagine that we properly funded a public education system that supported all children equally, regardless of class, ability, or economic status, and asked those opting out to simply pay their own way.
- Imagine that we designed a healthcare system that truly provides for those who are physically, mentally or emotionally ill, regardless of their ability to work or participate fully in society.
- Imagine that we held an election where eligible citizens were eager to register and vote for candidates who are honest, capable, and respectful of all human beings.
Who are the peacemakers who might bring about a more humane city, state and nation? I suspect there are prospective Democratic candidates right here in Bonneville County who already know that true peace requires forgiveness, generosity, acceptance, humility, and consideration of others. Please let us know who you are.
Jan Brown is a retired nonprofit executive who is State Committeewoman for the Bonneville County Democrats and Region 7 Representative on the Idaho Democratic Party Executive Committee.