1.08.2008

Mishandled Life

I used to read "The London Paper." It's one of the free newspapers that are given away to people are on their way home from work. I don't take it anymore because it has more ads than articles, but also because every other article seems to be about some unbelievable tragic incident: another teenage murder, another child that has hanged herself (no exaggeration--I've come across two articles about that) or some bizarre story about a horror writer cutting up his girlfriend and eating her. I know I can't expect to read a newspaper with only lovey dovey warm fuzzy stories, but reading this particular paper is beyond depressing. I am so confused sometimes as to how a human being can take another human being's life without so much as a glance backward.

I came across an Aristotle quote this term. He's writing about art, particularly the form of drama. But without meaning to, I think he's providing an exclamation for the unexplainable violence in our world.

"For if you happen not to have seen the original, the pleasure will be due not to the imitation as such, but to the execution, the coloring, or some such other cause." --Aristotle, "The Definition of Tragedy"

Humans are made in the image of God. If people have not seen God, do not know him, do not love him, can they really value human life? Or at the very least, value life the way God intended?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

in that line of thinking... what could you conclude then about those who wage war in God's name?

interesting to think about.

one of my favorite quotes from my dts, "sometimes i don't care because i don't see the value of a soul."

Amy Kopecky said...

i was hoping someone would comment about this, because it kept me thinking for awhile after i posted it. and your question is interesting to think about.

if i am blatantly honest, i know i don't see the value of a soul as much as i should. i come to this conclusion by determining how many of my actions in life are motivated by my love of others, rather than love of my self. and i'm a really selfish person.
and unfortunately, it's not always the Christians who value life. sometimes unbelievers have a much higher respect for it than Christians (especially when we think about war).

i guess what i'm saying is, can any of us really value human life as much as we should? as much as God asks us to? and what will it take?

Anonymous said...

i can only speak for myself, but i've noticed that sharing life with people; walking with them through sweat and blood and shit and tears... and allowing them into my life makes it more real that we each have a story.

we all have pain and hopes
we're all scared of something
we all want to be loved as we are
and we all cry ;)

do people need to know God to value human life? i don't think so. i know quite a few beautiful people who love and serve humanity without knowing the One who gave them the hands with which they work.

so... as christians, could we love more? absolutely. always. will we? i can only hope, but i think it involves getting diry... and it seems we prefer wearing our sunday best.