International Diplomacy
And yes, I believe that that statement alone is enough to prove my street cred as a straight up nerd.
In my former life, I had the privilege to take a (very small) part in the international diplomatic process. Part of my clinical internship my last year of law school took me to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) meeting that is held in Geneva annually. There, diplomats from 100+ nations around the world gathered to discuss pressing freedoms and rights such as international sentencing practices or the right to water. They tried (key word) to arrive at conclusions which would then be documented and issued as official opinions from the HRC.
It was very boring at times to sit there and have to listen to the translators tell you what the representative from Russia was saying or to watch the Israeli and Palestinian representatives go on AGAIN about their issues. And yet, there was always a thrilling rush when I got to approach representatives themselves after the session to lobby for the issue my professor and I had worked on for a whole semester [for those of you wondering: it was seeking to eliminate Juvenile Life Without Parole]. Needless to say, it is and will remain an experience I will never forget.
All this is background for my thoughts on what is happening right now:
Malaysian Airlines Flight 370.
Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Continuing tense relations with North Korea over threats of nuclear weapons testing.
They're all things that have been gripping media attention as far as their implications on tenuous relationships between countries in our increasingly globalized world.
And while listening to NPR the other day, they mentioned how many of these countries around the world turn to the United States in times of emergency. Ukraine called on the US to send troops to prevent Russia from violating their state sovereignty and taking over Crimea. There is, of course, much pressure for the US to keep a close eye on North Korea given their strong relationship with South Korea and Seoul. And even in the search for MH370, the US has made available advanced technology in the agonizing search for the plane. Yet, these moments also always remind me of our involvement in the Middle East and Afghanistan. There have been countless articles and interviews with the Iraqis and Afghans about their feelings toward US presence in their countries. And many have expressed that they feel we have done more harm than good and that they cannot wait until we exit their lives for good after more than a dozen years there.
All this to say that it's hard being "big brother." This love/hate relationship between my native land and the world is enough to cause anyone whiplash. A simultaneous identity as the World's Unwanted Policeman and Rescuer When Others Are Unable to Act is conflicting to say the very least. Often times, the US is only wanted as far as it benefits others and told to stay out when it seems like we're bringing too much of our opinion to the table.
Does this remind you of another relationship in the world?
To me, it screams of the relationship between God and Humans.
God is a mysterious being floating around in the clouds whom you turn to when things go awry. People pray on their knees when they are faced with sudden cancer, ask for it all to work when they had an interview for their dream job, and tearfully plead when they are asking for that ex-boyfriend to come back to them. God is told to stay away when it comes to people's options about what to do about the unexpected pregnancy, instructed to keep out of their science classrooms and ordered to remain irrelevant in their marriage choices.
But we forget, God is not a magical genie waiting to grant your wishes when you desperately want something and someone we can stuff back into the lamp when His opinion is the last thing we want to hear.
God is everlasting, sovereign, almighty, loving, just, and immovable to our human whims. He is the Creator of the universe and Giver of life to all. And yet, we reduce him to a wizened old man chilling out in heaven waiting for us to tell Him what to do.
He loved us enough to consider our fates for eternity. And to offer a way out of the hell we were running towards. That should blow our mind. HIS WILL (from the beginning) AFFECTS US FOREVER! Not just the joys and challenges we encounter now but what happens to us in eternity.
The United States' power will fade. It already has started to.
God will never fade. He remains the same yesterday, today and forever; no matter how many sunsets and sunrises this world will see.
Let's think about it.
