A world in disarray | Eastern North Carolina Now

    We watch war now in real time on television, cruelty and brutality on full display. This morning NBC's Richard Engel and his camera crew, near the border with Gaza, had to take cover as mortar fire surrounded them on the street. From the time Wolf Blitzer narrated the war in Iraq on live TV, we watch war unfold daily in Ukraine, now Israel, and - let us not forget - the US House of Representatives. Lord have mercy. The world is a mess!

    I just finished reading First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. It is historical fiction about the relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McCloud Bethune. Eleanor is the First Lady of the United States and Mary is dubbed the "First Lady of the Struggle," as her life's work is the struggle to gain equal rights for Black people. The story is of a friendship forged in a time of war. It tells the plight of citizens of color who are denied access to almost everything in the 1930s and 40s.

    The end story is about the victory of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. A right to participate in military leadership was a hard struggle to win.


    One of the stories in the book is the Chartering of the United Nations. The ideal of a world order, stability and peace, appears to be slipping off the page now. It seems that within the United States, and throughout the rest of the world, there is great effort to tear the house down. Peace and cooperation are no longer foremost in the minds of a lot of leaders here and abroad. Strongmen, who win through intimidation and confrontation, fill the ranks and create the rancor.

    The dysfunction and disarray of the Congress is on full display to us and to the rest of the world. Our reputation at the end of World War II has been sullied in a chaos of our own making. Media, money, and power have created competing echo chambers. Warring factions, intent on destroying trust in institutions and undermining the rule of law have become the order of the day. The tearing down part is hard to watch; the vision of building up seems non-existent.

    Moderate leaders need to be more vocal. While the world is careening toward a dark age why don't we all try being adults? What we are witnessing is like playground pushing and shoving that goes nowhere, except maybe to a principal's office.

    Apparently, we are in a time when the person who has the biggest stick, the loudest voice, the biggest bank account and most moxie can act without accountability and with impunity.We, who are the audience, try to change the channel to no avail. The disruption is everywhere.

    The greatest impact we have lies in our power to vote. We must do everything to keep free and fair elections open to all people. Part of the chaos revolves around voting rights. A huge majority of us want transparency, equality, fair representation, and ability to cast a ballot with ease. Voting is the fundamental tenet of democracy. When voting rights are lost, democracy is lost.

    The hue and cry of the ordinary citizen who is increasingly disadvantaged will increase. We will be the "Mouse that Roared." We will be those who say, "Enough is enough." Strongmen like to poke the bear. Watch out for the riled-up mama bear; she is a force. War is never the answer to a problem. But the truth is, war and disagreement are a lot easier than negotiation, compromise and cooperation, especially when you stack the decks against a majority.


    The only sentence I marked in First Ladies is on page 333. Eleanor is angry at Franklin's inaction to insure the rights of Black men in the military. She is marching to the telegrapher's house to contact him. As she stomps along, she realizes her anger has "been replaced by determination." Determination and resolve to address the problems of a world in disarray would serve us well. As we offer opinion, contact our representatives, and voice our concern at every opportunity and cast our vote, perhaps we will gain a growing sense of stability and order. A new order would renew our hope.

    Lib Campbell is a retired Methodist pastor, retreat leader and hosts the website: avirtualchurch.com. She welcomes comments at libcam05@gmail.com.