Troubled on Every Side,

Yet Not Distressed

By Keron Blair
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed.
2 Corinthians 4:8
There are moments in human history when the
world seems to turn upside down. When the walls
break down, the hinges fail and the roof simply
cannot hold. Crisis sets in and all we see around
us is trouble and turbulence. I believe we are
living in such a moment now, and we are troubled,
perplexed and cast down.
In the last few months we have witnessed
the uprising of everyday people in defiance of
tyranny and unjust governments. We have
watched in awe as people refused to leave the
streets, convinced it was time for freedom. Truly
the spirit of liberty has been unleashed and people
the world over are drinking from the fountain of
possibility that fuels and sustains our longing for
freedom and justice. Through these movements,
steeped in the human desire for freedom,
democracy, and recognition, we have witnessed
the world becoming a better version of itself.
While we are deeply moved and inspired by
what our brothers and sisters in Egypt and Tunisia
have fought for and won, we are troubled,
perplexed and cast down because in these yet to
be United States of America we have the horror
of witnessing the mangling and brutal truncation
of democracy and the silencing of the voices of
everyday people.
Indeed this is troubling and perplexing,
because Jesus was an everyday person and my
relationship to him calls me to always be in
relationship to everyday people and to stand on the
side of everyday people as they demand
recognition and respect.
I believe that what is happening in
Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and other
states around the country represents the kind of
trouble that the Apostle Paul had in mind.
Democracy is under attack, working people are
being silenced, wealthy people are buying the
allegiances of public officials, and democracy is
turning swiftly into plutocracy.

I am troubled by all this. I am troubled

because whats happening to working people in
those states violates all that I now and believe
about what is right and just. As someone
committed to radical love, righteous relationships
and justice for everyone especially the least
among us I feel strongly that the assault on
working people and their voice in the workplace is
immoral and evil.
I know there are some who are a little
squeamish about calling things evil, because it
sounds judgmental or anachronistic. But we
shouldnt shy away from recognizing and naming
evil when we see it. Let me be clear: to say that an
action is evil is to suggest that the action is
motivated by intentions to cause harm to
individuals and communities. It is clear to me that
the agenda of the leaders in these respective states
is intended to do just that. And so in the presence
of such evil, I am deeply troubled.
Then, I am perplexed because elected
officials are using weapons of deception and
dishonesty to silence workers. After claiming that
the efforts to undermine unions were about budget
deficits, they mangled the democratic process and
pushed through bills under the cover of night.
They used budget issues as a pretext to squash
unions and workers voices.
That kind of deception and dishonesty
perplexes me. Our leaders should at least have the
courage to say what their actual agenda is. To do
otherwise is to crush peoples trust in the process.
I recently read an article in which Wisconsins
governor claimed a faith in Jesus and encouraged
others to do the same. I am perplexed by which
Jesus he is talking about. He must not have read
the passages about loving your neighbor as
yourself, making justice real for the least of these
and the duty of the wealthy to the poor. So much
of what Jesus taught and stood for is at direct odds
with the governors actions.
I am cast down because I think that people
should have a say in decisions that affect them and
thats whats at stake here. In times of crisis we
are often compelled to limit the rights of everyday
people for the sake of expediency. But we should

be leery of going down that road. Perhaps it is

precisely in times of crisis that we should be most
committed to rights and democratic values. Years
ago, when I was in school, the Dean of the Chapel
warned me during a tough political moment that
we should not make rules based on the exception.
He counseled that we should make rules and laws
that are aligned with our values. The elected
officials in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan
and other states around the country would do well
to heed the wise counsel of the Dean.
In America we value democracy. We value
decent wages. We value everyone having a seat at
the table. In America, the way out of this crisis is
dialogue and meaningful partnership and
collaboration. In America when hundreds of
thousands of people show up to protest a course of
action, elected officials should not ignore them but
rather enter into dialogue with them. We have not
always been that nation, and I am cast down and
troubled because some politicians want to take us
back to the America of yesteryear, an America in
which working people had no voice. And if they
win, America stands to lose her very soul.
Yes! There is trouble on every side.
Yet, though I am troubled, I am not
distressed. I am not distressed because in a time
when people could be feeling defeated I have
witnessed the greatest movements for democracy
in my lifetime. In early March, 30,000 people
showed up at the State Capitol in Indianapolis to
demand that their elected officials respect their
rights. More than 100,000 people turned out in
Madison not once but twice. I am inspired by the
work of folks in Egypt. I am troubled but not
distressed, because trouble, no matter how
disruptive, does not always last.
Though I am perplexed, I will not despair,
because we are a people of hope. The God of
History and the God of Biblical Witness stands
firmly with people longing for a voice and for
freedom. Whatever victory is won today against
democracy and worker rights will not last because,
as God has done in the past, God will energize the
people to keep fighting and struggling. I am
perplexed but not in despair, because God is on
our side.
And though we might be cast down, we are
not destroyed, because our movement is motivated
and sustained by the knowledge that we will
triumph if we remain steadfast. People standing up
to demand their rights can change the course of
history.

I am cast down but not destroyed, because

I believe in the promise of resurrection. There are
times when we suffer the pain of Fridays
crucifixion and the horror of Saturdays silence
and stillness, but Sunday will come with its
promise of renewal and resurrection when the
stone that blocks us will be rolled away and that
which would claim victory over us will be no
more.
Keron Blair is the Student Programs Coordinator for
Interfaith Worker Justice. Before that he was director
and lead organizer of Interfaith Worker Justice, New
Orleans. He holds a Masters in Divinity with a focus on
black and womanist theology and a Bachelors of Arts in
English from Howard University. He spent the summer
of 2007 working in New Orleans to build religious
support for post-Katrina.