Up in the air, I fly
Last Saturday I checked out the Avalon Air Show. It was terribly cold the whole day - but well worth the effort. Flying still takes my breath away.
It was amazing to see what you can do with a plane - I really thought that they were going to crash during many of their death-defying stunts. One of the planes looked like a flying brick - doing barrel rolls and loops over and over - before landing virtually on a 5 cent piece.
I think I learned something about planes - for example, that there are some planes through which you can 'cut' to make an emergency exit, that some have a special toilet just in case the plane crashes, and (assuming it is intact) you need to 'go' while you're waiting to be rescued. There are planes that are still in service, having been used since the stone ages (almost); and then there are planes that are specially designed killing machines - costing $2000 per second for a round of bullets.
There was one thing struck me, amid the constant whirring and screaming of various aircraft flying overhead. It was the thought that for us Australians these sounds mean security in an unpredictable world (at least we think we're secure). But what if those sounds were not welcome, if hearing those meant you had to run for cover because the Americans were coming? What if that sound was the same sound you heard before you once lost a loved one? The helicopters looked a lot more menacing as I stood and thought these thoughts...
Overall, it was a good day, especially since I got to hang out with my friends and relax.
Labels: flying, planes, reflection, war
posted by Rachel @ 8:51 am
5 comments
5 Comments:
Yes, my grandma who lived in war-torn Germany, used to tell me about the bombings and how she had to flee to other cities, and even afterwards how it affected her. It really made a lasting impact in many people's lives.
I guess its very easy here in Aust to see our fighter aircraft fly-over and do funky stuff and think that its "cool" - but then reality hits home that these machines are weapon systems designed to kill.
its sad that there is an entire industry dedicated to supplying equipment to aid that 'effort'. Especially when that equipment ends up in the wrong hands.
On the flip-side, our defence force is somewhat of an insurance policy, whereby peace can be inforced (a biblical concept).
I remember having a similar discussion last year with a prayer group I helped start up within an aerospace/defence company. I think its important that Christian's (such as those in that group and myself) use our position to pray over & dedicate the development of these systems to 'defend and inforce the peace' - and to be used for Godly purposes.
Another interesting aspect is that, especially the Aust Defence Force, far more effort is been placed on humanitarian & peace-keeping operations. Australia's recent $2bn purchase of 4 C17 aircraft (I think thats where the "cut for emergency exit" pic came from) will certainly help that, along to with a lot of work been done in defence on logisitics.
Anyway, perhaps I need to do a bit more praying & work on establishing a Godly position within the defence industry.
I agree that there's a biblical role for our defence forces. I just don't think they live up to it well enough. With the technology we have, and the ability to track and stop terrorists, why do so many innocent people have to die? And if the Iraq war was meant to stabilise the country, why is it not stable after so many years?
I think the police, defence forces etc are put there to keep godly order in our society. I just think that sometimes they don't live up to what they're called to do.
I find it difficult to find anything in the New Testament that justifies the use (or threat) of violence, even for defence.
If peace has to be enforced, I don't think it can rightly be called peace, because it means that someone is exercising power over someone else (eg. American over Iraqis, Australians over East Timorese).
I also can't put aside the idea that God's intention is for weapons to be turned into agricultural machinery (Isaiah 2). How can we support something that's going against God's intentions?
But I don't think it's unbiblical for someone to have power over another person, as long as they don't abuse that power. That's why we have governments, biblical kings, rulers and authorities that the Bible says are put there by God so that society doesn't run amuck. Without some sort of order, the majority of people will do what they like and may hurt others. Godly order also protects those that are vulnerable, such as women, children, the elderly etc. If there were no repercussions for hurting someone else, some would take advantage of it.
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