Parsley, Sage, Terrorism, and Thyme

The post title sums up the wanderings of my thoughts and the invasive attributes of terrorism.

I went to the garden to clip herbs for the meal I was preparing. The act of gathering growing things to flavor our food is one of my favorite elements of cooking. Its simplicity reminds me that our sustenance is reduced to surviving off the earth and all God has provided us. We have the freedom to make as much or as little of that as we like.

Terrorism violently removes humanity's freedom of life. We have all been raised to firmly believe and embrace the fact that every person has the right to, "...life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

That might seem like an obvious, trite statement to make. But, considering both the base element at terrorism's core and the scope of its reach in current history, we see evil incarnate standing at our very door.

Some time in the early 1970's I was searching my high school library for a research paper topic. I ran across a singular book on terrorism. The book discussed the handful of terrorist attacks at that point in history, which were very few. I remember thinking they were far away from U.S. soil and it was hard to connect with a topic that seemed irrelevant to my life. There was also very little research material in the library system to which I had access.* It's hard to believe how much this has dramatically changed during my lifetime.

Granted, terrorism has existed throughout history and the multitude of factors contributing to the form of modern terrorism we see today are too many to get into here. But, in general, something changed in the late 1960's and terror became internationalized. From media attention, to weapons and bomb capabilities, to social media; terror attacks have greatly increased in scope and magnitude. One thing has not changed though and that is the core of terrorism. It is evil, it is blood lust and it is cult mentality.

So, as I walk in my fields and in my little garden, I pray for France and her suffering. I pray for my children and grandchildren, for the world they inherit and for whatever their future may hold. My Christian faith tells me that evil has already been defeated by Christ crucified on the cross. Good has triumphed over evil, forever and ever. Amen! I embrace that fully. But, it doesn't take away the suffering and heartbreak we must endure on earth. Nor does it take away the goodwill we have toward mankind and my sincere prayer for everyone to know Peace.




* These were the days of card files in drawers, no internet, and very limited access to libraries for a teenager who didn't drive yet.