I hate excommunication. No, I am not referring to the classic religious air, but to real life.
Let's begin with simple examples…
I hate birds in cages.
Yesterday, I was walking around the quaint tourist trap of Hoi An. This little city has a certain essence of history that I haven't felt since seeing Fort Sumpter in South Carolina. In the night, it has glowing, picturesque lanterns on bridges, boats and hanging from shops as far as the eye can see along the Thu Bon river. Ultimately, this place marks the perfect place for a romantic outing. Hoi An's only downfall (or lack thereof) is it's ability to trap thousands of tourists with its myriad of shops.
Stephanie May
As a few of my girlfriends and I were partaking in this western indulgence, I often found myself wandering. I like shopping to a particular degree. You see, I like going in and out of stores quickly. I view shopping like hunting…it must be purposeful. Scan, pinpoint, purchase. Maybe there is a bit more patience involved in hunting. Anyway, I had no problem waiting outside or meandering to other stores because there were the most intriguing sites. Early afternoon, I found myself under a broad tree that housed three bird cages on one limb. They were pretty birds. I quickly had to retreat after I found myself staring at one, for it was distressing my conscience. The poor creature was far too large for its prison and hardly had room to flutter.
Stephanie May
I also hate fish in tanks. I discovered yesterday that this loathing increases when a fish is by its lonesome. I was almost getting sick at dinner last night because of the fish tank in the corner. It held one solitary fish. It was a pretty, orange fish. A few times, I had to revert my mind back to my bowl of Pho and off of its desolation.
Maybe this sounds stupid and trivial. If someone were to say so, I would most likely agree. They're just birds, fish…
But I hate seclusion and loneliness…ostracism. I hate bondage. I hate when life is distorted from its original intent. The birds are meant to soar around the city and in out of their roof nests. The fish are meant to rip through the water with their massive schools in the ocean.
Hate may sound too strong, but there is no other word. "Dislike" is far too implausible.
My mind strays to a multitude of imprisonment that I've seen this year…oppression far more weighty than that of the bird and that fish. I become grieved when I think of it. And so this is my cry today…
"This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'
-Isaiah 58:6-9, The Message
