Destruction in Haiti (and the Destructiveness of Words)

Susan Isaacs February 2nd, 2010

My husband Larry used to travel a lot when he wrote for World Vision. He visited countries all over the world that suffer from poverty. World Vision's mission is to help the poor with basic needs and education. Larry's a pretty idealistic guy, but Haiti was the only country he felt was beyond hope. He could physically feel the oppression and despair. He couldn't wait to leave. In fact, the official he interviewed encouraged him to do so as soon as possible. Get out of Dodge.

We've learned plenty about Haiti in the past couple weeks. And by now, most of you know about Pat Robertson's remark: that the Haiti earthquake was divine retribution for an oath its people made centuries ago: a voodoo pact with the devil in exchange for freedom. Robertson also blamed Katrina on debauchery committed in New Orleans, and the 9/11 attacks on "the sodomists." Which made me wonder if he thought there was a gay bar on top of the World Trade Center.

Robertson also pledged to send massive amounts of money to Haiti Relief. So at least there's that. I'd rather have Robertson say something horrible and do something wonderful, than the reverse. But so many outsiders don't know about the good he did. They only know what he said.

Sara Miles, the leftist lesbian journalist turned leftist lesbian Christian said of her detractors: "James Dobson has something to learn from me, and I have something to learn from James Dobson." And if there's something for me to learn from Pat Roberson it's this: be careful what you say.

At the root of Robertson's insensitive pronouncement is a truth: what you say matters. Your words hold weight. They go out into the world and change it. And not just the world you can see but the one you cannot. You don't have to be Pentecostal to believe there's a world you can't see. You don't have to be religious. It's in all the myths and stories we've passed down. It's in the movies we love to watch: The Matrix, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia. There is a greater reality, and our words and actions affect it.

"Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." For that reason I must stop before I use damning words against Pat Robertson, for his damning words against a country that uttered damning words.

The Alcoholics Anonymous book, "12 Steps and 12 Traditions", discusses how to become ready for God to remove your defects of character (aka sin). The discussion of Step Six shows how often we try to explain away our particular sins, or make accommodations for them.

"Self-righteous anger also can be very enjoyable. In a perverse way we can actually take satisfaction from the fact that many people annoy us, for it brings a comfortable feeling of superiority. Gossip barbed with our anger, a polite form of murder by character assassination, has its satisfactions for us, too. Here we are not trying to help those we criticize; we are trying to proclaim our own righteousness."

So, how many trail of dead have I left in the wake of my own words? I've pissed off good people because of my sloppy words: things said in jest, barbs uttered in the heat of the moment; or the words I wrote which others took the wrong way; words written in haste that failed to tell the whole story. All words that no manner of apology could shove back in my mouth. Words that went out into the world and changed it. Words that killed rather than healed.

If there's a realm we don't see, and our words go out and change it, I wonder what kind of divine retribution is coming our way for our surfeit and self-satisfaction? Our moral rectitude? Why are we all not damned for every careless word we've said? Think of all the oaths and pacts uttered on the football field or the trading floor or in the cocoon of our speeding car? When is God's earthquake heading our direction?

A friend of mine was obsessed over the fact his great-grandfather had been in the masons. They made weird oaths in the Masons. They did occult things and swore on their children's graves. My friend was convinced that those oaths uttered by his ancestor were responsible for the hardships he had in his life. The thing is, only five minutes later my friend started trashing his brother. He didn't see the connection.

There are plenty of innocent people in Haiti: people of faith, people who need help. People whom this country turned away when they rowed to our shores in hope of escape. (When are we getting the divine payback for that?)

Maybe this earthquake was God's providence. Or at least, God can use it for good: Maybe now the government will have no choice but to let outside help and organization come in and help. Maybe this is a new beginning. Maybe God is holding out that opportunity for us MAKE it a new beginning with what we SAY and DO. Forget ruminating over the spiritual realm. Get out into the physical realm that you DO see, and DO physical things that can physically change it. Do it now.

Compassion International, World Vision and Samaritan's Purse are all sending aid to Haiti. One of Compassion's workers, Dan Wooley, was trapped in the rubble at the Hotel Montana, before being rescued.
( Compassion International Staffer Rescued from Quake Rubble - Buried for 65 Hours )
This is one of the many reasons I love Compassion: they were there before the earthquake, before the celebrities did their live concert; and they'll be there long after the emergency groups leave. They're committed.

Here's a list of more organizations to whom you can contribute. Click Here.

Speaking of oaths, I wonder when we're going to be accountable for these?

OH, MY GOD
by Billy Collins

Not only in church
and nightly by their bedsides
do young girls pray these days

Wherever they go,
prayer is woven into their talk
like a bright thread of awe

Even at the pedestrian mall
outbursts of praise
spring unbidden from their glossy lips.

Susan Isaacs is a writer, actor, and comedienne with TV and film credits including Planes Trains & Automobiles, Scrooged, Seinfeld, The Drew Carey Show, My Name Is Earl and more. She is an alumnus of The Groundlings Sunday Company and the author of Angry Conversations With God: A Snarky But Authentic Spiritual Memoir.

Click here to listen to Susan's appearance on Steve Brown Etc.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 2:28 pm and is filed under , Christian, Church, Compassion International, Dan Wooley, Earthquake, Haiti, James Dobson, Pat Robertson, people in Haiti, quake, relief, Samaritan's Purse, Sara Miles, Susan Isaacs, World Vision. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.