Guns, Coffee, and Camus

I woke up at 5:38am to the sound of gun shots. I'm currently in Washington DC for work, and staying at a house in a rougher part of town I suppose. That afternoon I was visiting some friends who live in DC and walking through a great part of town. The houses and stores were all beautiful with all sorts of fascinating things inside them to keep my attention for the afternoon. It felt like I was in college again- inspired, comfortable, conversations full of grand plans, and coffee shops with art, music, books- all with a romantic allure to them. I felt like I belonged.

Afterwards, I hopped on a bus to go home. If I was home at the bookstore, then my bus trip quickly had me thinking "I don't think we are in Kansas anymore." The bookshops and cafes were quickly replaced with abandoned houses and fast food. And I saw that picture, that always leaves me perplexed- a homeless man sleeping on the steps of an abandoned house. This never makes sense to me. It makes me want to scream out "hey man, just go inside- there's no one in there!" But I know its my simplicity that drives me mad. In the economy of God this doesn't happen, and I look forward to that day when the kingdom is fully realized.

Anyway, I went to bed thinking about these things, and I woke up to gun shots outside. I'm not sure what happened, or if anyone was shot or anything. I heard one lone siren, but it was quickly shut off as if to say "Everyone just stay asleep, there's nothing to see out here." It's a great tragedy that if we want to, we can live our lives in the bookstores and cafes without ever realizing the "other reality" of this world. If there is hardship and violence, it becomes entertainment. All of these events in my day caused me to ask, which reality is more real- the coffee or the guns?

And so it hit me again. Neither reality is the final reality. The alternative reality that I'm choosing to embrace is the reality that acknowledges the need for justice now, and recognizes that one day the poor and oppressed will be set free, and there will be no tears, no guns, no homeless, and no abandoned houses. And so we work for this kingdom- knowing that we can't do much of anything to make it fully realized, but also knowing that its a great sin to allow this to cause apathy. This is the Myth of Sisyphus that Camus spoke of- to work for the kingdom knowing we will fail until the day when Christ gives the rock the final push up the mountain.