Herded and Prodded
Hong Kong Student Protesters March on Chief Executive House
Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Sept 25, 2014
Have you ever joined a march or banded together with others to support a cause?
Gathering together in a group to show each other support can be a good thing. But when the group consists of angry people, there is a good chance that something bad will happen.
Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. - Acts 19:32
In today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Paul finds himself in an awkward position. His friends are being targeted by idol makers, people who make a living creating idols from silver and gold, and he wants to go into the crowd to support them, but he is prevented from doing so by his supporters who fear for his life.
Meanwhile, the crowd that has gathered is riled up but doesn't know what the fuss is all about.
They are about to be swayed into action without understanding the issue. Like cattle, they have been herded and prodded into a frenzy and they could easily become a mob.
A peaceful assembly of students took place in Hong Kong yesterday. The Hong Kong Federation of Students marched to Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s home in a demonstration for greater voting rights. They know why they have come together. They want a more democratic election in 2017, one where the candidates are not all picked by puppets of the state.
Like Paul and his followers who spread the news that idols made by human hands were not gods, these students are playing with fire. The powers that be, the people who make the rules and benefit from them will not be happy, and something really bad could happen.
This is the way we do things, though, isn't it? Despite all the high technology and the ability to reach around the world from your cell phone, people still take to the streets, and it makes others take notice.
But whenever many are gathered together, there is potential for things to get out of hand, and there are those who want that to happen.
We live in a time of threats and terror. People with little reach and influence make big waves any way they can, whether it is through peaceful marches or statements threatening subway riders in New York City.
We are herded and prodded into action by others and that can be dangerous. At some point, all hell breaks loose.
Today, as leaders continue to meet to try to figure out how to deal with threats, and as students march to gain greater freedoms, and as sickly children fight for their lives in Ebola-ravaged countries, we need to stop and pray for wisdom, focus and love. There are people being herded and prodded, pushed and shoved, abandoned and forgotten, and we need to find ways to help them before the bad stuff happens.
More to come...