"Some rules are made to be broken." How many times have you heard that said? How many times have you said it? Some rules don't make sense to me. Some make sense but go too far. Some don't go far enough. Man-made rules will always have flaws.
The one argument I detest the most for the rationalization of breaking a rule is, "I'm not hurting anybody." It can be restated this way, the breaking of this rule will not have an impact on anyone other than myself, and it may not even impact me. How true is that? I believe that statement can never be true. We (the breakers of the rules) may or may not ever realize or see the impact the broken rule has on ourselves or others. That does not mean the impact does not exist.
Caveat: if you are not a Christian or believer in the God of the Christian/Hebrew Bible, you may as well not read the rest of my thoughts.
What was the first rule broken by humans? Someone looked at, took, and ate something they were told not to. As a matter of fact, at that point in time, that was the only rule in existence - and it was broken. Who did that breakage impact? I could either make a long list or just say: everyone. Everyone. From the first two humans on down to you, me, and those of us not yet born - that broken rule had an impact on all of us. Quite a large impact, too.
How about some other examples of broken rules that impacted you and me? These particular broken rules have a daily impact on you and me, here and now.
You might now be asking yourself, why is he bringing this up? I know the Old Testament Israelites made mistakes over and over again. How is that relevant to us today? First, let me point out that even though rules were broken and mistakes were made, God always brought them back to Him. He may have allowed captivity and war and hardships, but He never forsook them, never forgot them, never went back on His promises to them. That should give us hope for today.
There are many reasons I could bring this up. Maybe for a Bible Class on choices. Maybe for a discussion on politics. Maybe for a rant on a nation choosing to kick God out. None of those are the prompting for my thoughts today. Today I am saddened by the violence broken rules have caused the people of El Salvador and Central America. I'm no geo-social anthropologist, but I know the simple laws of cause and effect. The effect is violence - the daily assassination of workers and even children in a country I love dearly. The cause? Read on at your own risk.
I believe the United States of America is largely at fault for much of the gang violence in El Salvador and other parts of Central America.
Now, don't get your Stars and Stripes in a wad. Let me explain how rules the U.S. has broken has contributed to the violence there. Immigration laws exist. These immigration laws are rules about how to come to this country legally and what to do with someone who has not. There are some cities and states that thumb their collective noses at these rules. How does that spell violence in Central America? The bloodiest, most violent, and most ruthless gangs in El Salvador are Mara Salvatrucha (commonly known as MS-13) and 18th Street Gang (also called Barrio 18 or Calle 18), among others. Do you know where these gangs got their start? Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. - not El Salvador.
These gangs are actually originally U.S. exports! The terror being brought upon the citizenry of my beloved El Salvador is to some degree a result of my country of citizenship's failure to enforce immigration laws. Before you start screaming racism, please continue reading. There are some people, whom I love dearly, in this country that I know for a fact are "illegals". There are many of my friends trying to get to this country illegally; some using coyotes - putting them at serious risk for abuse, rape, slave-trade, and death. That does not change my friendship with them; that does not change my caring for them; that does not change my love for them. It does cause me a great deal of stress when I dwell on it.
Our immigration rules are not perfect. There are many people(s) who would build and develop and enhance the U.S. who cannot enter it legally. Maybe because of political relations with their country of nationality, or maybe because we have made the cost of legal citizenship so high. There are a number of reasons, those who want to come here legally, can't. But the truth is, we have immigration rules, and some of us choose to break them.
Because these rules were broken, some people that should not have been allowed here and some people that should not have been allowed to remain here were not removed from here. Some of these people(s) (NOT ALL) turned to crime and learned how to be criminals from our own criminals. Then, only after their "skills" were acquired, some of these were deported. Once deported, they did not abandon their new-found skills, but instead put them to use in a country even more ill-equipped to handle them then the United States. And they flourished. They began taking territory. They recruited. They intimidated and coerced and extorted. And yesterday (10 August 2015), they killed more than 20 people, including an 8 month old baby girl. Now, there is an average of 16 gang related murders in a country the size of New Jersey, with a population less than half the size of New York City, and about equal to Los Angeles, the city of angels. And that does not include the rising number of missing and mass graves being found.
So, Monte, what's your point?
My point, my call-to-action is two-fold.
If you are still reading at this point, I'd like to thank you for giving ear to my thoughts.
-ml
The one argument I detest the most for the rationalization of breaking a rule is, "I'm not hurting anybody." It can be restated this way, the breaking of this rule will not have an impact on anyone other than myself, and it may not even impact me. How true is that? I believe that statement can never be true. We (the breakers of the rules) may or may not ever realize or see the impact the broken rule has on ourselves or others. That does not mean the impact does not exist.
Caveat: if you are not a Christian or believer in the God of the Christian/Hebrew Bible, you may as well not read the rest of my thoughts.
What was the first rule broken by humans? Someone looked at, took, and ate something they were told not to. As a matter of fact, at that point in time, that was the only rule in existence - and it was broken. Who did that breakage impact? I could either make a long list or just say: everyone. Everyone. From the first two humans on down to you, me, and those of us not yet born - that broken rule had an impact on all of us. Quite a large impact, too.
How about some other examples of broken rules that impacted you and me? These particular broken rules have a daily impact on you and me, here and now.
- Abram and Sarai use Hagar to have children. Abram and Sarai chose to: a) break God's ideal of marriage and b) more importantly, they chose not to rely on God and produce progeny on their own terms. How does this act from centuries ago matter in today's world? Enter Ishmael. Abram's first son (and only son as Abram), Ishmael is recognized by Muslims as the ancestor of several prominent Arab tribes and being the forefather of Muhammad (A-Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism; Scott B. Noegel and Brannon M. Wheeler (authors)). Muslims also believe that Muhammad was the descendant of Ishmael that would establish a great nation, as promised by God in the Old Testament (Genesis 17:20). Do I need to go into how this broken rule has an impact on you, me, and the world today? Think ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Bin Laden, etc.
- Israelites fail to dislodge/kill the inhabitants of the promised land. The first instance of this is again, self-reliance. When Joshua and the Israelites elders made peace with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9). Even through the time of King Solomon the Israelites failed to drive out or kill all the inhabitants as God had commanded them. Some they made slaves; some they could not conquer. Why? They broke the rules of listening wholly to God and relying on Him instead of self. So? What does their failure have to do with you, me, and the world today? Have you heard or read about the turmoil in Israel and that region lately? Why is there turmoil; why not peace? Broken rules. The unrest in the Middle East has world-wide repercussions.
You might now be asking yourself, why is he bringing this up? I know the Old Testament Israelites made mistakes over and over again. How is that relevant to us today? First, let me point out that even though rules were broken and mistakes were made, God always brought them back to Him. He may have allowed captivity and war and hardships, but He never forsook them, never forgot them, never went back on His promises to them. That should give us hope for today.
There are many reasons I could bring this up. Maybe for a Bible Class on choices. Maybe for a discussion on politics. Maybe for a rant on a nation choosing to kick God out. None of those are the prompting for my thoughts today. Today I am saddened by the violence broken rules have caused the people of El Salvador and Central America. I'm no geo-social anthropologist, but I know the simple laws of cause and effect. The effect is violence - the daily assassination of workers and even children in a country I love dearly. The cause? Read on at your own risk.
I believe the United States of America is largely at fault for much of the gang violence in El Salvador and other parts of Central America.
Now, don't get your Stars and Stripes in a wad. Let me explain how rules the U.S. has broken has contributed to the violence there. Immigration laws exist. These immigration laws are rules about how to come to this country legally and what to do with someone who has not. There are some cities and states that thumb their collective noses at these rules. How does that spell violence in Central America? The bloodiest, most violent, and most ruthless gangs in El Salvador are Mara Salvatrucha (commonly known as MS-13) and 18th Street Gang (also called Barrio 18 or Calle 18), among others. Do you know where these gangs got their start? Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. - not El Salvador.
These gangs are actually originally U.S. exports! The terror being brought upon the citizenry of my beloved El Salvador is to some degree a result of my country of citizenship's failure to enforce immigration laws. Before you start screaming racism, please continue reading. There are some people, whom I love dearly, in this country that I know for a fact are "illegals". There are many of my friends trying to get to this country illegally; some using coyotes - putting them at serious risk for abuse, rape, slave-trade, and death. That does not change my friendship with them; that does not change my caring for them; that does not change my love for them. It does cause me a great deal of stress when I dwell on it.
Our immigration rules are not perfect. There are many people(s) who would build and develop and enhance the U.S. who cannot enter it legally. Maybe because of political relations with their country of nationality, or maybe because we have made the cost of legal citizenship so high. There are a number of reasons, those who want to come here legally, can't. But the truth is, we have immigration rules, and some of us choose to break them.
Because these rules were broken, some people that should not have been allowed here and some people that should not have been allowed to remain here were not removed from here. Some of these people(s) (NOT ALL) turned to crime and learned how to be criminals from our own criminals. Then, only after their "skills" were acquired, some of these were deported. Once deported, they did not abandon their new-found skills, but instead put them to use in a country even more ill-equipped to handle them then the United States. And they flourished. They began taking territory. They recruited. They intimidated and coerced and extorted. And yesterday (10 August 2015), they killed more than 20 people, including an 8 month old baby girl. Now, there is an average of 16 gang related murders in a country the size of New Jersey, with a population less than half the size of New York City, and about equal to Los Angeles, the city of angels. And that does not include the rising number of missing and mass graves being found.
So, Monte, what's your point?
My point, my call-to-action is two-fold.
- When not in contrast to the Word of God - don't break rules. Many rules may not make since, but God has told His people to live at peace within the authority of those over us - in a worldly fashion. Some rules need to be changed. I'm not overly political, and I don't relish the idea of activism, but I must stand for that in which I believe and work to make change when I believe it is necessary - even if it is the small and often taken for granted act of voting. I ask you to do the same.
- Pray for El Salvador. Pray often and regularly. Pray for peace. Pray for a good economy. Pray for good weather - the harsh floods and droughts and severely damaged the lives of many, which leads to unrest and more violence. Pray for the hearts of the gang members to be softened. Pray for the country's leaders. Pray for the expulsion of Satan and his forces. Pray for El Salvador.
If you are still reading at this point, I'd like to thank you for giving ear to my thoughts.
-ml
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