The Spectator and the Ball. War, who do we pray for?
Recently, I heard Louis Davids again with his very old classic “De Voetbalmatch” (The Football Match). He sings about a spectator who has no understanding of football whatsoever, yet allows himself to be completely carried away. He doesn’t understand the rules, doesn’t comprehend the role of the goalkeeper, but he still insults the referee and throws bananas. He gets entangled in a game that he does not fathom.
Halfway through the song, he doesn’t even know anymore whether he is watching Ajax against Blauw-Wit or against Feyenoord.
What he does see, is that it is a rough affair: “An invalid came back from the front.”
Today, we are that spectator.
We watch wars, form fierce opinions, and pray for country A or against country B. But just like the man in the song, we often have no idea how the political game is truly played. In this grand game of superpowers, the rules are opaque. The citizen is the ball: he gets the kicks and is played around with.
We are fed information that is by definition biased. Whether it concerns selective reporting, economic interests, or the unconscious prejudices of journalists: objectivity is an ideal, not a reality. Who is truly right or who the real enemy is, I no longer dare to say.
One thing I know for certain: the citizen is always the victim. Nobody wants to die for a political game. Anyone who does is just like the spectator in Louis Davids’ song.
Who should you pray for then? Praying for a government or a country is difficult when you don’t know the real agenda. But praying for the citizens of the countries is always possible. They are the ones who take the hits, regardless of which side of the border they live on.
At the same time, we must be honest: impartiality is a luxury of the spectator. When bombs fall on your own house, theory fades away. At that point, fine words about nuance are useless, words don’t put food on the table.
That is why I more often choose to remain silent. If I do anything at all, it is praying for protection for the people in the chaos. And perhaps most importantly, praying that they, despite the violence, can remain human and that the beast within them does not awaken. That is difficult enough as it is.
So, discussions about who should win? I won’t get involved. It only starts a new war in miniature, and I am completely done with it. Humanity is always the fall guy. It already started with Adam, Eve, that snake, and that apple; we have been played with for as long as we have existed.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9