References:
- · The Battle of Gettysburg (https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-gettysburg)
- · Gettysburg (1993) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107007/)
- · Ken Burns ‘The Civil War’ (http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/civil-war/)
- · Lincoln (2012) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/)
Thoughts
and reflections…
For
those that know me, this will probably not surprise you much. Fellow INFJs will probably not be surprised,
either. But, as I write this blog entry,
I am currently listening to music from the Civil War period. Yes, I do often really immerse myself into
something that greatly interests me.
And, since I am researching things to do on our ‘Learning Vacation’ next
year, I am really immersing myself. And
yes, I am very much enjoying it!
Throughout
my 40+ years of life, I have worked as a pastor (paid and volunteer roles),
been a soldier, worked both law enforcement and corrections, and have visited
many different places in Europe and the Middle East. I have not seen nearly as much as I want to,
but I still have seen more than many have.
All of these experiences have deeply enriched my life, even if I did not
want some of them.
For
example, as a pastor and as Custody Staff at the prison I currently work at, I
seek to give people the tools that they need in order to become better
people. Sometimes I am able to engage in
very deep and thoughtful conversations.
Other times, I have to spoon-feed people in very basics. This is true while doing ministry and while
working at the prison. Think that is
odd? I have seen people, while going
through very difficult struggles, expose the deep ugliness in their hearts in
both places. As well as see the goodness
that they might be trying to hide under their harsh exterior. This may be surprising to some, even
shocking. Others may be smiling and
nodding, having ‘been there and done that…’
I’ve
been in the US Army since 2001, working Military Intelligence, Military Police,
and several other minor roles. Having
been an Airborne paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division during
my first deployment in 2003-04, I have been in harm’s way on numerous
occasions. While serving overseas, I
have not been in direct combat, but I have been literately on the edge. I’ve had rockets explode a block or so from
where I was sleeping, I’ve had several vehicle-borne explosives (car bombs)
detonate close enough that I very clearly felt the concussion against my whole
body, heard the deafening roar of the explosion. Been ‘on the wall’ at one point of a compound
and see tracers about a block away from me go back and forth across the
street. A furious firefight maybe a football
field away from my position.
Though
I have been blessed with not being actual combat while deployed, I still have
lots of experience with dealing with prison violence. I have been one of the first responders,
responding to a fight on many occasions, many of which were fairly bloody. I have responded to several attempted, and at
least one successful suicide attempts. Many
Inmates have come at me in a threatening manner, actively restrained one Inmate
attempted to assault another co-worker, had Inmates piss on me, had fecal
matter thrown at me… I’ve had my share
of experiences…
And,
many of my experiences grossly pale compared to those of others. I have talked with several people who have
seen actual combat. I have watched
numerous movies and documentaries on battles, homicides, etc. Just like all of my experiences have molded
me into the person that I am, I see how the experiences of others have greatly
affected them. Some have learned how to
deal with it, some struggle after decades.
To
help with my preparations for the ‘Learning Vacation,’ I am watching Ken Burns ‘The
Civil War’ (on Netflix) and the movie ‘Gettysburg’ (we own the DVD). About two weeks ago, we watched the movie ‘Lincoln’
on Netflix. Each of these films/series
have been extremely informative on what the Civil War was all about. It wasn’t just about State Rights vs. Federal
Rights, nor just about Slavery vs. Freedom.
Many people, not just President Lincoln, greatly wrestled with how to do
things, whom to trust, what the likely consequences might be, etc.
My
son, who is most likely an INFJ like me, absolutely loved watching Lincoln
(2012) a few weeks ago. Since it is not
an action movie, but a biography, drama, history movie, I was very impressed
with how attentively he watched it. It
is believed by many that President Lincoln was an INFJ, and I believed that
they captured that extremely well in the movie.
Not just his quietness and reflective nature, but also how he was able
to ‘connect the dots’ more easily than others, be able to evaluate things from
different and even opposing perspectives, etc.
Loved it!
Like
anyone who has gone through high school and college, I took quite a few classes
on the American Civil War. I though that
I had learned a lot. However, I am
realizing just how much I can still learn about that whole experience. Although slavery and abolitionism have a lot
to do with the Civil War, they have their own rich and incredible history. Are you familiar with William Wilberforce? If not, I highly recommend looking up that
particular English abolitionist. I have
learned some about him and John Newton, former slave trader turned preacher and
abolitionist. Incredible, incredible
stories!
After
I finish watching this blog entry, I will finish watching Gettysburg with my kids. After that, I might read some more on
Frederick Douglas, or I might try to work on my on-line Army class that I am
trying to finish. I haven’t decided
yet. On top of that, I still have to
finish getting ready for work tomorrow.
Lots and lots to do.
I
do highly encourage you to read more about Frederick Douglas, William
Wilberforce, John Newton, and others like them.
Even if you might not agree with their theological perspectives (I am not
sure about Douglas, but Wilberforce and Newton were very devote Christians),
there is still a lot that you can learn from their experiences and hardships.
RC
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