Revelancy

“You shall not murder.”


This was the commandment I worked on this week. I am pleased to report I did not murder anyone all week long. Nor did I kill, which is different people tell me. Since I am a vegetarian no animals died for me this week, and I did not kill any bugs. So, I could just leave it there and say I was successful for the week. But, that is much too simple for me. This commandment got me thinking about the topic of relevancy.

I have a feeling one of the reasons the 10 commandments are not really discussed anymore, or at least taken seriously, is because they don’t seem relevant. The commandment not to murder probably doesn’t seem very relevant to someone like me, who has never had the compulsion to murder. Nor do I spend much time around those who have murdered, though some of my behavioral health patients have murdered in the past, and others feel a desire to, but really don’t want to. Anyway, not murdering is not hard for me and most people I interact with. Because of that, people may say this is no longer something ‘normal’ people need to think about too much.

But maybe that is not right. Maybe we do need to think about. Like the other commandments I have considered throughout my Life Experiment, I have decided they all still speak to us in some way. And the very fact they were written down and given so much importance in our faith traditions make them important to take seriously. But how does one do that when murder will probably never be a part of one’s life?

The reality is, murder is a part of our lives. Everyday. Everyday we are confronted by murder. On television, in movies, in books, on the internet. We are confronted everyday by the reality there are people in the world, in our towns and neighborhoods, who will intentionally take another person’s life. And we are so bombarded by this reality, it does not carry the emotional weight it should for us.
Yes, sometimes a murder becomes a big issue and many people start to talk about it. The Treyvon Martin murder for example. This has, rightly so, been the source of a great deal of talk and emotions. It should be. But how many other young, black men have been murdered since Treyvon’s death? We are most certainly not talking about that. And I think one of the reasons is because we have become de-sensitized by it. I know I certainly have.

But then I am choosing to focus my time and energy on a commandment people may tell me is no longer relevant. But it is. And what it has taught me this week is murder is against God. It damages the intricate fabric of God’s Creation in a way which can never be repaired. We are called by God not to take this lightly. It is written in stone: Do not murder.

So, I shall not murder. And more importantly, I shall not gloss over the murders of others. I will acknowledge the tear in the fabric of life, and grieve the loss. And I will do what I can to make sure those who have lost their lives will not be forgotten or become just another name on a stat sheet.