So my wife and I recently started teaching five-year-olds in Sunday School. (As this is a blog about the war in Iraq, some might wonder what connection a war in the Middle East and a classroom of five year olds could possibly have in common - and to them I would say, "You've certainly never taught a class of five year olds.")
So there I was, ready to impart some serious life truths to these kids. I was ready to make a difference. I read the lesson before hand. I wore clothes I wouldn't mind throwing away if they got coverd in paste and glitter. I even got to the classroom early. There were three of us teaching, one lead instructor along with my wife and myself, which put as at about a 5 to 1 kid to teacher ratio...
(This brings up an interesting question that came to mind: How many five year olds do you think it would take attacking you at once to reach the point where you were simply overpowered? Seriously, at some point there would be just TOO MANY of them to fend off, biting, scratching, pulling your hair - everyone has a number...what's yours?)
Okay, so there I was - narrowly outnumbered and quickly unable to have any semblance of control. My original objective of imparting spiritual truths and changing lives quickly transformed into getting kids to stop throwing things and pulling them out from under desks. There seemed to be little hope of accomplishing my original goal, and success seemed to be making it through the hour and a half without having anyone go to the emergency room. The kids obvoiusly had no interest in what I wanted to teach them, and I appeared to be nothing more than an observer in their little world. But then something miraculous happened. The sunday school hellions appointed an ambassador; his name was Noah. Noah approached me and indicated that the boys and girls he represented were in dire need of snacks.
"Snacks?" I questioned.
"Yes, it has to be snacktime by now." he indicated.
I made quick contact with the 42 year old mother of three who was in charge of our operation and she affirmed that Chex mix and juice was on its way. It quickly arrived and the once chaotic classroom settled into relative peace. With some direction and a couple of stern looks from the teachers, the kids organized themselves around 14 inch high tables and waited for their dixie cup full of sustanence. I sat down with my designated group and, somewhat prompted by Noah, delved into a well received lesson on moral character. The kids listened, told their own stories and asked questions. At times they would argue about who got more M&M's in their snack mix, but such conflicts were quickly resolved and the original objective was, to my surprise, met.
And so I think about our efforts in Iraq, attempting to impart the wonderful gift of democracy on a nation full of men and women just trying to survive; trying to impart wisdom in the midst of chaos. In doing so, we are really waiting for snack time - a time when the people's physical needs are met, and they are then able to focus their efforts on things higher up on the heirchy of needs.
As I make the comparison, I also wonder - what would have happened if snack time never came? I would have probably struggled for the safety of both myself and the kids until I could find a way out. (Sounds pretty familiar.)
So one must realize that nobody wants to worry about the Bible lesson while they're mind is stuck on Chex mix - they simply aren't ready for it. No matter the quality or appicability of the lesson we have for them, they won't want it, understand it or apply it until thier primal needs are first met. Our attempts to give democracy roots will be as futile as my attempts to teach life lesons to children who are busy throwing Leggo's at my wife and begging for graham crackers.
That said, our government is in the process of trying to meet these needs for the people of Iraq, but rebuilding a nation takes far more time than filling up some dixie cups. In the mean time, whatever forces remain in place trying to maintain order need any support they can get. In the midst of such chaos, no ratio of friendlies to combatants promises safety. Additionally, we must fight the urge to settle for second-rate objectives - making it out alive is not success. We must focus our efforts on meeting basic needs and maintaining whatever semblance of order we can. Once these short term objectives are met, the roots of democracy, true democracy can take place. And they will take root within the PEOPLE, and not the leaders of Iraq.
That is the fundamental truth of democracy - the "ignorant masses" are really just too busy grappling for their next meal to worry about politics, and because the people of a nation are the force of any democracy, it will fail until they are ready. Simply put, we cannot force any nation into successful democratic processes. They may have great turnout at elections, they may elect some leaders, but until the DEMAND for democracy comes from the people whose voice will be made law by its existence, it is not true democracy - and it will fail. What's more, even when the basic needs of the people are met, and the demand for democracy is made, the timeline for its maturity is much longer than most realize. (Far longer than our politicians or spoiled citizens can stomach - see my first blog about What the US Says about the War Says About the US...)
So here we are, surrounded by fueding masses, struggling for survival, waiting to impart this great lesson of democracy. As we wait, let us not forget the lessons that can be so easily learned by looking at the advancement from survival to enlightenment within a sunday school classroom - or from the long, slow, painful inception of our own nation's democracy.
No comments:
Post a Comment