Horizons magazine is published by Presbyterian Women (PW) the national women’s organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Issue link: http://horizons.epubxp.com/i/623149
A s I've reflected on this experi- ence in the days and weeks since, however, I've begun to realize that, by and large, my feelings of fear and my inaction are largely the results of the way I've been condi- tioned by the all-too-regular threats of violence I see and expe- rience in daily life. I don't think I'm the only one who, albeit unin- tentionally, has been culturally conditioned this way. The ubiq- uity and banality of violence desensitizes us, and often, that very banality of violence is what prevents us from doing what is right to stop it. Ubiquitous Violence We are living in a culture con- sumed by violence. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.3 million people lose their lives to violence each year. 2 Fic- tionalized or real, violence seems to be all around us. From news about bombings and shootings to casual gos- sip about "Who beat up on whom?" on any number of "reality" shows, it is clear that violence is too common a leitmotif in our culture. Beyond televi- sion programming, violence as enter- tainment is readily available, whether through websites, where anyone can access an amalgam of pictures and videos containing gory street fights, or through video games, depicting lifelike war scenes replete with "blood and guts" graphic imagery. Even more tragic, perhaps, is the fact that our young people are the ones who have been most adversely affected by violence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more youth die from homicide each year than from cancer, heart disease, birth defects, flu and pneumonia, respiratory diseases, stroke and diabetes combined. 3 They are also the ones most affected by the relationship between technology and quicker accessibility to lurid, violent images and motifs. Statistics show a disturbing trend: youth violence is on the rise domestically and is becoming a greater public health concern globally. 4 Personally, as a pastor who has worked with young people, I remem- ber arriving one day at our weekly youth group meeting to find a hand- ful of students huddled around a lap- top computer. Being curious, and a bit suspicious that they were looking at something inappropriate, I asked what they could possibly be watch- ing so intently. Without hesitation, one of the youth answered, "We're watching a YouTube video of one of our youth group members get beat up after school." Speaking Out Violence is complex. It is chaotic and disjointing; it separates and divides. In the words of theologian Marjorie Suchocki, "Violence is the destruction of well-being." 5 It fractures individuals as well as communities. In many cases, it destroys bodies and lives within communities. Hanging in my office is a print of Pablo Picasso's famous work of art Guernica. Painted in stark and bold colors, it is one of the most visceral illustrations I have ever encountered of the chaotic and destructive charac- ter of violence. Yet at the same time, in the context of the Spanish Civil War during which it was painted, it is also a profound statement of peace. Its bold bestial imagery makes a poignant statement of protest against the Nationalist forces of Franco and the oppressive powers of fascism in general. I would go so far as to call it one of the most powerful antiwar statements in modern art. I am enamored with Guernica for several reasons. First of all, it gets at the heart of the chaos and the uncer- tainty of violence. In his masterwork, Picasso captures the suffering and tragedy caused by war. The second reason is that it reminds me of the power of creativity to help us bring When the Basque village of Guernica was chosen for bombing practice by H itler, 1,600 citizens were killed or wounded. Although Pablo Picasso generally avoided "political art," the massacre at Guernica became the subject of the centerpiece Picasso had agreed to paint for the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 World's Fair. Right: Picasso painted Guernica in Paris, and stipulated that the painting belonged to Spain, but could not go there until Spain had liberty and democracy. January/February 2016 5 Photograph by Dora Maar (Henriette Theodora Markovitch), 1937. Courtesy of the Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid