Wednesday, November 22, 2006

My Thanksgiving Day Prayer


Version 1.

Dear g*d(dess).

The planet is mostly FUBAR, and your redemption plan doesn't begin to approach being enough. thanks for squat.

Version 2.


Dear g*d(dess).


Thankyou that I live in a country with a per capita GDP of $41,000 while 3 billion people rot in destitute poverty with $700 per year. Thankyou that I live in a country where we are going to spend $1.1 Trillion on defense in 2007 so that I can feel relatively safe while another 150,000 Iraqi’s die. Thankyou that I’m a man so that I can feel relatively safe while one in four women in this country will be raped or sexually molested by their 18th birthday. Thankyou that even though I and my family are among the 46 million uninsured in this country, at least we still live in a country where we are spending $2.2 trillion on health care this year, while over 2 million died and 12 million children were orphaned because of aids in Africa in 2005, and another 2 million will die of malaria there this year, mostly children under 5. Thankyou that I live in a country where the lives of my wife and my newborn daughter were saved during an obstetric emergency, while 500,000 mothers will die worldwide this year from obstetric emergencies that are mostly relatively simple and inexpensive to remedy. Thankyou that I am going to get to obscenely gorge myself on enormous quantities of food today, while also today 25,000 people are going to die of starvation around the world.

God bless (only) America.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

cynical bollocks ,matey

me said...

... i hear your anger and frustration ben ... i too struggle with this. it seems so unfair that i have so much when others have so little. giving genuine thanks to god for blessing me, and at that same time, like habbakuk when he sees what's going on around him, crying out "Why God.. how long o god"...these thoughts become unbearable, hey. have been thinking lately, that when i cry out to god against the injustice, that i am really crying out against 'me'/'us'/'humans' being in control. we are in control and we can;t do it with love and mercy, humility and kindness. That's why i think we cry out to God - we know he is the one who is ultimately in control and able to ultimately do something about it. I also have been wondering whether God's promises to heal us and restore us and feed us here on earth, are things that he does thrugh his people - he needs his people to be his people for these promises to come about (ie: give to those in need, love oneanother...).... hopefully someone 'theological' can correct me on that one?? Burden to live in love and mercy lies on me .... (i know god acts inspite of us too...)
thank you god for ben and his family :) R

Megs said...

me, i love your words - they really resonate with where i'm at - about god healing and restoring people through us. i want to be in on that, though i know it will come with a cost.

bens, thank you for not letting me become too complacent or greedy! love you!