SENTINEL WATCH November 22, 2010 Issue

PRAYER INSTEAD OF VIOLENCE

BEVERLY GOLDSMITH

VIOLENT BEHAVIOR, school fights, nightclub brawls, and road rage. Such antisocial conduct often makes the TV news in my area. Consequently, one is left thinking that society has turned nasty. What's happened to niceness, decency, patience, respect, and self-control? What can be done about violence?

First, I find it useful to resist feelings of dismay, and keep in mind that the perpetrators grabbing the day's headlines are only a small minority acting improperly. Thousands of decent people, keeping the peace and, acting in a law-abiding manner, never make the evening news. Even so, it doesn't mean that violence should be ignored. All violence is unacceptable and needs to be addressed.

One way of doing this is to be spiritually proactive—to stop and pray whenever acts of aggression are reported. This prayer can start by affirming the truth about God's men and women. In their purest nature, each individual is God's respectful, gracious, peace-loving likeness. So it's divinely natural for everyone to show restraint even when provoked. It's actually normal for high schoolers to refrain from initiating hostility or retaliating with angry outbursts. It's usual for drivers to remain peaceabiding behind the wheel. It's typical for people at nightclubs to exercise control over their thoughts and actions, and refuse to be swept along with a misbehaving crowd.

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