In Memory of Brother Tim
February 21st, 2010 by Wil Robinson
Last week, I was saddened to learn that Brother Tim passed away. His “Blog of Revelation” was a collection of religious and political writings that always looked to help our world progress and grow.
I never met Brother Tim - I only knew him through his writing and the occasional e-mail. But I know he was a compassionate human being - and a strong Christian. His writings reflected the tolerant, inclusive Christianity that was preached by Jesus - and Brother Tim was always keen to look at similarities between religions instead of differences. The world needs more people with the kind of religious wisdom of Brother Tim.
In his memory, here’s one of my favorite of Brother Tim’s posts from March 2007…
Tempering Turmoil
by Brother Tim - March 17, 2007
Turmoil lusts against peace; and peace, against turmoil. They are contrary, one to another. They cannot co-exist. It is like heat and cold, or light and darkness; one must overcome the other to have a viable existence.
Trying to tackle turmoil in it’s maturity is like putting the cart before the horse; you’ll get nowhere, fast. Turmoil has to be dealt with at it’s birthing or infancy, at it’s reasonings and causes. Fighting fire with fire, only works with forest fires or wildfires. It won’t be of much use in a house or car fire. You will not obtain peace by employing turmoil. Peace is a universal human desire, everyone proclaims peace as their ultimate goal. Bush, Olmert, bin Laden, Ahmadinejad, al Sadr, etc., etc., all claim peace is their final goal. But the use of the ‘fight fire with fire’ strategy, is like grasping at a vapor; success will never be totally attained, only delayed and frustrated. It is absurd, farcical, and down-right ludicrous, to say, “We want peace, and we want it so badly, we’ll kill you to get it”.
You say, “So, where do you propose we start, Brother Tim?”
With understanding, humility, love, and above all, charity.
Understanding - exactly what the boundaries of our country are. Countries that experience relative peace, are countries that protect their own borders and respect the sovereignty of other’s borders. America is NOT entitled to every square inch of the planet, nor all the resources it possesses. The road to peace is not paved with greed, corruption, and an insatiable lust for power and control. I agree with the globalists and corporatists; they should have the right to do business anywhere. However, when dealing with sovereign nations, one has to respect their sovereignty. If terms can’t be agreed upon, then it’s no deal. To put it on a smaller scale: I really like your big screen plasma TV and would like to buy it. You say, “$1,000″. I say, “$500″. You say, “No deal”. I say, “You either sell it to me for $500 or I’ll go spend $450 on a 9mm, kill you and just take it”. Although this example may seem barbaric, illegal, and immoral, this is exactly the mindset that America, corporate America in particular, has towards the world. We have a misguided sense of entitlement. Also, our military was Constitutionally established as a means of defense for our borders, not for the protection of corporate interests abroad. If you want to take the risk to make money in a foreign land, go for it. However, remember the qualifying word here, is risk. If you expect to have the US Military to protect you, why do resist paying taxes on all that wealth you’re accumulating there?
Humility - to realize that we are a ‘Johnny-come-lately’ as far as societal civilizations are concerned. Our 230 year experiment is but a ‘drop in the bucket’ when compared to other countries and their cultures. History shows, that Imperialism is not viable, but, in fact, self-destructive.
Love - has been championed by all great thinkers. Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, et al, and more recently, Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela, M L King, et al. Love is one of the basic tenets of virtually every religion; and is universally understood and desired by every human being. And most importantly………….
Charity - The giving to, and helping of, the less-fortunate of our brethren. Not just locally, or nationally, but globally. We must grasp and embrace the ideology, that: When all prosper, society advances; when greed and elitism take hold, societies slide into degradation. Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) said at the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Awards, “The erasion, or eradication, of poverty, definitely……..is the way to Peace”.
Peace - Personal Peace - National Peace - World Peace - TRUE PEACE - is not a vapor. It is attainable, and it can be grasped. It must start within each and every one of us; in our thoughts, as well as our actions.
True Love is contagious, and seldom rejected.
With the Love of Jesus,
Brother Tim