About Haiti, 1/15/ 2010
For the last several days, I've sensed an almost cataclysmic warning in the terrible and tragic earthquake in Haiti. Certainly it must be among the largest most horrifying natural disasters ever to happen to humanity. So, I wondered what does it really mean to us - as a global civilization at this perilous point in our history on this planet? What ancient struggle is being played out here in Haiti?
Early this morning I felt nudged to write what I was feeling. I felt a deep longing to explore what Earth herself might be saying to us, and what God may be saying to us through this global tragedy? Is there some unfinished business humanity needs to clean up, perhaps an ancient wound stemming from that first heartbreak of Cain’s murder of Abel in the opening chapters of Genesis? I am not implying that God would be punishing us, but rather there might be inherent in the natural order of life, a wake-up call in this tragedy, which I use in the full meaning of the word. Could this be the end result of an out-of-control uncorrected error, a kind of tear in the fabric of life that left unmended would unravel the entire garment?
Is that deeper meaning of this earth-shattering tragedy, buried in the debris and broken bodies and broken lives, the awareness that we are indeed our brother's keeper afterall? Could our original betrayal, slaying of our brother Abel, that original archetypal utter separation, tearing apart of flesh and spirit, that first renting of our human garment, could that be the spiritual thorn in our collective human soul? - a thorn from which war and disease and poverty has seeped like a spiritual abscess for dozens of centuries? Is it the cracked cornerstone on which the entire foundation of our civilization is built, a civilization now split, cracked open, before us in the earthquake's retching upheaval? It seems almost as if Earth herself could not tolerate our abandonment of our brother any longer. And, if it is, which I am feeling it is, how do we remedy it? Is there a kind of antedote to this spiritual virus? Because, I almost feel that if we don't do something, reverse our centuries-old lack of love for our neighbor/brother, what else may happen and where and at what collective cost?
Empires came and went, flourished at the expense of that small island parcel, once paradise, today hell. Abandoned finally by its colonial parents who had abused it since its birth, Haiti's people and government were left too weak, too spent, too exhausted, too long oppressed, completely without any resources to protect himself or have ready any kind of means with which to respond to the earthquake. The poverty and wretched living conditions there may be the worst in the world. With only barely a glimmer of a vision of who it could be among its brother island nations, or even in the world, this spot of earth, like a small metastasizing boil, turned into a villainous rapacious seething time bomb, awaiting a match. Perhaps the Earth herself could not bear to see this parcel of humanity so maligned, forgotten, neglected, so bitterly unloved by his brothers that death itself would be kinder than the torturous existence those three million souls in Port-au-Prince could no longer endure.
Perhaps Haiti is Cain's long overdue debt to Abel, and unless we can hold and love him, indeed restore him, we as a civilization have damned ourselves to roam the earth, cut off, forsaken, broken, limping through time with a guilt so deep within our collective soul, that God's tears might only be able to free us, save us, restore us. Psalm 118 says, "The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone." While that scripture was quoted by Jesus who said that God himself is our cornerstone, our relationship with God, and ourselves, was cracked, when we chose to abandon our brother and slay him, metaphorically in the story of Cain's slaying of Abel.
Today, our brother is in Haiti. He has been born and bred in hatred, oppression, deprivation and despair. If we cannot restore this brother, certainly there is no hope for our civilization which is already perilously close to the edge of extinction, due to our own lack of compassion for each other. I believe the stone will be restored, the human inner sanctum will be healed, our relationship with ourselves and God will be realigned when we can finally love our brother, on as large a scale as we once slayed him, and it seems that we have been slaying him since that very first violation, two steps out of Eden.
But Haiti is one of many nations who also are our brother. From around the world, communities, homes, families, lonely individuals littering our cities, hungry children all seem to come into focus, until suddenly their faces all flash quickly by one-by-one until one face seems to form before us and in the eyes of that face, we see God.
If we turn away from that brother, we turn away from God. I know that we know this on some deep interior level, but we must remember again and again. The urgent need to love each other that is called for from us today is the greatest humanity has ever required. To save ourselves, we have to save each other.
We are One, all One, all together here on this beautiful planet and we need each other as we've never needed each other ever before in our history. I sense a real need to remember this and in sharing these words this morning with you, I am reminded that we are all called to love with a cosmic intentionality and to do this in every thought, word and deed we experience and share in everywhere and with everyone.
The paragraphs below were written in 1995. It was true then and true now. Haiti needs a stable government. In early 1995, US military was in effect in control but not running the government, supporting it. There was a very large US military presence. Progress was being made. UN troops replaced US troops (I was assigned to the UN). Progress stopped. After 15 years of UN support Haiti’s condition has not improved. These people need help. If you choose to contribute, do it through an American non-governmental agency not the UN. The church groups with missions in Haiti all were great. The long term solution would have been and continues to be a US battalion size task ground (750-1000 troops) engineer heavy with medical and civil affairs. The Haitian people love, respect and admire America and Americans.
ReplyDeleteThe following are comments from a professor from the Haitian Studies Center at the University of Kansas during UN Staff training, March 1995. I was in country for 5 months following this lecture. I found it to be true, but I also found the Haitian people to be honest and friendly. Good people in a very poor place.
People and Customs:
Haitians have a respect for authority. They also have a need to save face. Even when wrong, you say that yes you could do it that way but you also could do it this way.
They generally do not steal. During a riot instead of looting, they may just destroy merchandise.
Religion and even mysticism (Voodoo) is very important. However, the belief that God is great has result in a certain fatalism. If things are that way God made it that way and it is accepted. This has led to pessimism.
Their history, being the first and only successful slave rebellion and having fought the French, British and Spanish to obtain it have led to a feeling that Haiti is alone in the world. They are also surrounded by English or Spanish speaking nations.
They are survivors. They hold on and don't let go. Because they are at the bottom, they know that what they have works and are afraid to change because if it does not work they would not survive. This makes innovation and improvement almost impossible.
Lack of security and complete distrust for the government and its institutions, the police and army have made the population very self protective. To gain information it is first necessary to gain trust. The average Haitian questions why is the question being asked. When asked the truth comes out very slowly. Questions and answer often are made in a round about manner.
Rumors and exaggerations abound.
The human is more important than the watch. Punctuality is not comprehended, hence the phrase Haitian time.
Haitians are warm. Negotiations are seldom entered directly. You socialize and talk first.
The family is very important and extended. Cousins and in-laws are close. Many children are adopted by other family members. Age is wisdom. Wife is called Madam (first name). Son’ last name is father first name. This causes problems with establishing genealogy.
The people do not like their picture taken. A Haitian poem states that I am poor and not worthy, please Mr. Tourist take a picture of our beautiful buildings.
It is very important to treat the average Haitian with respect and dignity. The rich Haitian is arrogant. This can be seen by the way this group drives as compared to the "middle class".
The main strength of Haiti is her people. As a group they are friendly, honest, hard working, ingenious and very clean.
Problems:
The immediate problem that is the most concern is the lack of infrastructure, both in terms of people and hardware. The power system at full capacity supplies less than 80% of the total connected load and operates at less than 50% of capacity. The water system is in worse condition. The road system is also atrocious. In addition to the lack of physical infrastructure, there is no structure of police, military, public service or courts. This problem is compounded by a 20% literacy rate and the exodus of those who have higher degrees of education
Thank you for your in-depth reflection. Your information and knowledge are very impressive.
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