A Tale Of Two Ships
2023년 6월 25일A Tale Of Two Ships
< Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Tine >
The whole world watched with increasing apprehension this past week as a tiny, tourist submarine named Titan disappeared without a trace into the cold, dark waters of the Atlantic Ocean. On board were only five people: a British businessman, a Pakistani investor and his teenage son, and a French diver. The fifth person was the operator of this mini-sub. Rescuers from the U.S., Canada, Britain and France, racing against the clock, scoured the waters of the Atlantic Ocean hoping to find the mini sub before it ran out of air. On Thursday, after finding debris from the ship, authorities announced with heavy hearts that the small submarine had suffered a “catastrophic implosion” and all on board were presumed dead. Beyond the tragedy of five innocent lives lost at sea, there’s an unsettling dynamic going on. About the same time as this tragedy unfolded in the Atlantic, a boatload of refugees fleeing Syria had overturned in the Mediterranean off the coast of Greece. Perhaps as many as 700 to 1,000 lives were lost. The world just shrugged its shoulders and returned to mourning the five victims of the Titan.
So what’s going on? Some suggest racism is to blame. After all, the victims in Europe were Middle Easterners, probably Muslims, and poor. The victims in the submarine were multi billionaires. These people suggest the news media only focused on the tourists because there were wealthy. Besides, boatloads of refugees sink all the time. The critics imply that, at least with the media, the lives of billionaires are more important than the lives of the poor. But I believe the reason for our fixation on the plight of the super rich is more subtle. Let’s compare the two disasters. The five in the mini sub died because they had too much money; those on the refugee boat, not enough. Both accidents were avoidable. The billionaires had a choice; the refugees, not so much. I guess it boils down to the failure of money to save us. No matter how they live, billionaires can die just like everyone else. And from the viewpoint of God and the gospel, how much money they had or how tragically they died is not as important as how they lived. All lives, rich or poor, white or middle eastern, Christian or Muslim, all are equal in God’s eyes. Let us treat each other accordingly.