Reblog Selections from recent blogs at baptiststoday.org
When greed trumps history By Tony W. Cartledge
P
olitical crises and massive uprisings in Syria and Egypt are not only taking a toll on human life, public resources, and economic well-being. They’re also contributing to an unconscionable desecration of history. Syria, a cradle of ancient civilization, may have more important archaeological sites than any other country in the world. But formerly pristine sites that were identified but not yet excavated are starting to look like moonscapes as prospectors armed with bulldozers and automatic weapons search for valuable artifacts to sell on the black market, destroying every hint of historical context along the way. The Roman city of Apamea is a current target, and invaluable sites such as Aleppo, Mari and Ebla are also endangered. Most of the looted goods are fenced through black marketers in Turkey and Lebanon. In neighboring Jordan, the threat is not civil war but an unsteady economy and the hope of quick riches. Local legend has it that the Ottoman Turks, who ruled the area from 1516 to 1918, owned mounds of gold, much of which they buried
Syrian rebels walk through rubble and damaged buildings near the Aleppo’s Umayyad Mosque on Feb. 11, 2013. Reuters/Aref Heretani
before fleeing British forces. It’s also believed that supernatural powers such as genies guard some of the gold, leading looters to cite exorcism verses from the Quran while prospecting. In Egypt, looters have taken advantage of the current chaos not only to dig in poorly protected sites, but also to attack and clean out state-owned warehouses of artifacts, or to brazenly rob museums of precious treasures. While they make a few dollars from the robberies, operators at the top of the chain can
Giving and receiving By John Pierce
T
rue generosity is not based on what one gets in return. Yet while we don’t (or shouldn’t) give in order to receive, it often works that way. It did for veteran Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson who suffered a major ankle injury in a July 24 game against the New York Mets. Hudson and his wife Kim are widely appreciated for the charitable work they do in person and through their foundation. Particularly, they are known for brightening the dark experiences of children who are seriously ill. Suddenly, the tables turned.
September 2013
Steve Hummer of the Atlanta JournalConstitution reported that the staff and patients at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Tim Hudson made it their mission to let Huddy know he was loved. Early messages of support to the Hudsons included snapshots of young patients holding baseballs inscribed with get-well messages. The staff dressed in Braves attire in tribute to a faithful friend, and the hospital even served baseball fare in his honor. The world of professional sports is so
make many thousands of dollars on a single prize sold to wealthy collectors. Meanwhile the world’s cultural heritage is impoverished. For most of us, there is little we can do other than shake our heads in dismay and (hopefully) pledge that we will never purchase looted artifacts. But we might also want to stop for a moment and think about how we look at our own past, and to be careful about what we trash and what we treasure. BT
often marked by big egos and big money, scandals and win-at-any-cost abuse to one’s self and others. But this tragic incident at the first-base bag revealed the best of humanity in the sports spotlight. Eric Young Jr., the Mets player who accidently inflicted the injury, was most remorseful. He rushed to Hudson’s side immediately, expressed his sorrow when the pitcher was placed on a stretcher, and then wiped tears from his eyes as he walked back to the dugout. His expression of kindness was just the first. Kids with much bigger concerns than a crushed ankle quickly reached out to one of their heroes. Oh, what lessons to be learned — including the reality that sowing seeds of kindness often results in a bumper crop of goodness in return. BT
Perspective | 33