Ramblings of the Fatigued and Righteous

Any reader of this post may know the condition I've experienced since 2PM today: eye-buzz. This condition occurs when one's gaze has been held for too long at the computer monitor. Oy!!! After crawling out the office at sunset (no lunch break either), it was like I was looking through cheesecloth.

After a bite on the go and a shower upon arrival, I oddly plunged back to my ol' pal, ye trusty Mac. No explanation. Burnt, yes. Tired, yes. However, without TV or liquor to dull the senses, Net surfing is the only way to find the ebb. "Books!," someone quips. Unfortunately, my true nature only reaffirms itself when fried: Books is fer train ridin'.

Seemed a bit disappointed with the choices, though. Not too many interesting breaking pieces in the NY Times. The U.S. Open won't excite me unless I've heard one of the Williams sisters has won or there's a super juicy shot of James Blake (yeah, he gets a wink from this one). Can't say that hearing of the Dow's most recent 2% plunge causes me to bat either weary eye. Yeah, I've got money riding on such turns, but if I can't touch the money until I'm 80 -- why freakin' fret?

One headline that warmed my heart was that the Taliban will release 19 of the South Korean missionaries that have been held for about a month. God loves the faithful...the simple too. How this group -- mostly women, found themselves in Afghanistan to do the Lord's work -- only God knows. But yes, it is a blessing to see that mercy is going to be granted (most likely conditional and with a bizarre flourish) Noting that the church's leader was executed weeks ago, having some form of spectacle that will provide a sense of shock will be a tough act to beat. Even as low-down and contemptible as the Taliban reputation and ambition, publicly executing foreign women (most likely viewed as naive and duped) on a religious mission may even be beneath them.

A few years back, one of the most graphic images of this war was seared into my imagination. Beheadings were a bit en vogue amongst Taliban and terrorist-level thugs like Zarqawi around 2003/2004. One of the earliest kidnappings that led to a public decapitation was that of a South Korean contract worker in his late 20s/early 30s. This man was first seen for millions of viewers throughout the world via a video that the terrorist sent to Al Jazeera. This video featured a thin Korean man facing a camera begging, pleading for life. He is panic-stricken, prancing in fear and pain before an audience the world over. This was a palpable pain. I prayed for him. Prayed mercy might find him. Prayed that a successful escape might happen. That Hollywood wasn't the only reservoir for a heroic rescue.

Being a news junkie, I had one of my radio's headphone's tucked within my ear when the report played the "remains" of this hostage had been found. I soon heard that a video tape had been released of the execution. Having taken this stranger into my heart and prayers, his death....murder, proved too much. I left work. I returned home and could not shake the terrified prance and plea in a language that I did not speak, but knew. When sharing my regret and disgust with others, it was as if I was the only one who saw this story.

Unfortunately, I'm too lazy to reference the chronology: was this before or after Nicholas Berg? Certainly it was post Daniel Pearl. Nonetheless, this life was also taken. Barely a whisper. Perhaps the sense of disgust led to the exodus of the South Korean missionaries. Maybe it led to some self-proclaimed leader to helm a church of righteousness. Perhaps it fueled something, anywhere.