So there I was... minding my own business and trying to get some winks before work when all of the sudden...
There was intense screaming in the street. This happens fairly often in my neighborhood. Sometimes there is a shooting or a drug bust or domestic violence. But tonight I wasn't sure what was going on. I threw my pants on and ran downstairs. Jodi called the police. As I walked out the door there was a man in the fetal position by our car. Another man was kicking him in the face. Not like a "get off my side of the couch, I'm trying to watch the A-Team" kind of kick, but a running head start and then kick you in the face kind of kick. Then the kicker took a few steps back and ran and kicked the kick-ee in the face again.
What to do in this kind of scenario? So I yelled, "Hey". That didn't really do anything. I actually contemplated a few things: 1) get personally and physically involved. 2) get my gun and become personally involved 3) wait for the police. Right or wrong, I waited for the police. When the cops got there, it was kind of like on cops only the cops were less nice. By this time the men were rolling around in the street. Really. They were laying in the street. So the cop throws one guy off another. and then there are like 5 cop cars there. It was pretty bizarre.
But these kind of things get more and more common because we are near the end times. What's really disturbing is that we are becoming used to them. I don't like to see people kicked in the face. I don't like violence at all really.
10 comments:
Christian,
That is really sad. Do you think the "kick-ee" will be okay? I will pray for these men. I think you definitely did right in not getting your gun!!! (I am actually quite suprised that you own a gun). As to becoming physically involved? I don't think there is a standard in such situations you just have to follow your conscience and/or the Spirit's leading in such situations.
To give my answer to the post's title: No I do not think this illustrates "total depravity." I think it does illustrate the unfortunate and radical realness of sin and the desperate brokenness of humanity. But I think that total depravity is a real misnomer. It is always bad when we have to start by explaing what something is not. You may recal classes at RBC where they would say something like: "Now this does not mean that humans are totally depraved all of the tme just that sin affects the total being." Well if that is what it means then we should come up with a term that conveys that meaning better.
Also just wondering what you are doing throwing this statement out there: "But these kind of things get more and more common because we are near the end times." Are you being smarmy or are you being serious? Just wondering.
Blessings,
Wayne
Tell more stories about when you've gotten out your gun, Christian...please do! We could use some light-hearted humor to read on these things.
By the way, did you know that your profile changed on this blog as well as the GREY blog? Just thought I'd tell you that.
Love you!
Yeah, I noticed that too jodi. Christian if you want it to show something different in you profile on each page you can remove the "about me" bar from one page and use the "HTML/JavaScript" bar instead and make it look the exact same picture and all but say something different. The comments section does not allow java script so I am emailing the script/html you would need just in case you would want to use it. I know I am a blogging nerd.
Peace,
Wayne
That's pretty intense. You never know what the right thing to do in those types of situations is. Maybe the guy getting kicked in the face just raped the other guys mother. Because why else would you be ok with kicking another guy in the face like that? Or maybe it was about who had better shoes. You never know.
christian, i am quite releived to hear you didnt get your gun...shooting water at an "attack-er" would only piss him off even more i think. and probably get the "attack-ee" a bit wet in the process. now thats injustice!
actually it really sucks not really knowing how or if you should help. sorry man.
"Are you being smarmy or are you being serious? Just wondering".
Smarmy.
Jodi- I will not tell morestories about my gun because I don't want to tell everybody what was going on when I needed to reach for the old 30-30.
J+W- I'll try to figure it out later. Thanks for letting me know.
Keith- The kicker actually was helping a woman who the kick-ee had hit while walking down my sidewalk. The kick-ee was wasted and hitting his girlfriend. But I didn't know that until the cops got there. But does it really matter? I suppose it depends on which charachter you are in the whole theatrical scene.
Chad- I will blow you away if you call my gun a water pistol again. Seriously. Guns don't kill people, I do.
If Christian had gotten his gun out it probably would have went something like this:
Ray Consella: Alright, I didn't want it to come to this, but you're coming with me.
Terrance Mann: What's that in your pocket?
Ray Consella: What do you think it is? It's my gun!
Terrance Mann: That's not a gun, that's your finger!
Ray Consella: No it's not, it's a gun.
Terrance Mann: Ok, then show it to me.
Ray Consella: Are you kidding? I'm not going to show you my gun!
Christian,
wht of my remarks about the total depravity issue?
your gun wouldn't fit in your pocket! You know what I'm talking about.
My two cents: Violence begets violence...if we want to reconsile the world to THE WAY, we need to promote pacifism at every chance we get. Of course, I wish we had had our video recorder out and running for when that HUGE cop came and RIPPED the one dude off the other and catapolted him across the grassy-knoll. NOW, that's good drama! You know his adrenalin (sp?) had to be pumpin as soon as the call came across the little thingy.
Remember when we were just sitting in the living room at Kristen and Dale's and they were going on and on about how bad a neighborhood they lived in in Kansas City and I said, "Wow! You're describing MY neighborhood!" That was an epifinal (sp?) experience for me.
End times?
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