On Communication

When I was a student of Art History, I was sent to the museum to examine prints of Goya’s Los Desastres de la Guerra. These were kept in map drawers and handled with white gloves. The dramatic images of starvation, torture, murder, defilement and death during Napoleon’s Peninsular War in Spain have influenced artists for two centuries. The disasters of war have not changed.

            In Wellington’s time, communication determined battles. News of ceasefires and peace agreements might take weeks to reach engaged armies. The enemy’s communications could be delayed or halted so orders and dispositions failed to reach them. Much depended on the weather.

            History is vital. We need to remember Napoleon and others seeking world domination. We need also to view our own time and the ways it differs from the past. Chiefly at the present, we should understand communication.

            Reading news of the massive earthquake in Nepal (an act of nature) I learned that all the Sherpas at Mt. Everest are on Facebook. People in Nepal consult technology. Very soon, no corner of the earth will be unconnected, with implications for the whole world.

            How does God communicate with us? Can our orders and dispositions be delayed? Are we fighting battles when peace is already agreed? Should we, like Wellington, hold back when communications are not yet clear? Liturgy, reading, prayer: listen, and attend.