Taming the Dragon
Someone shared this video with me:
Congo Soldiers Explain Why They Rape
What stuck me the most, beyond the awfulness of the truth, came from reading some of the equally crazy comments on YouTube. Many call for a long excruciating death that these soldiers deserve. All is good and well, except for the part that the perpetrator has no idea why he is dying an excruciating death in the first place. If rape is a way to win, and winning means life or death (the only leverage there is in this kind of lifestyle), then not to rape means death. For someone who narrowly escapes death as a youngster, I can see how there might seem to be no options besides to rape and to be fond of what you do.
To understand this situation, one must travel back to a time BEFORE this desperation and resulting evil started. What changed in the story of this culture? What do they ultimately want? Why is power and immortality so important to them and what do those things represent? Why can they not see hope – is it because their people have not seen a better way for too many generations that hopelessness and desperation became a way of life?In the Western tradition, there have been stories about taming the dragon to uncover treasures. If these soldiers are the dragon, then we must confront and tame these dragons to know the treasures they can offer. To confront takes courage and self-control. To tame takes understanding, perseverance, and compassion. To know the treasures take a sense of wonder, knowing that these treasures will not come in the shape we expect.
We have to understand men and perpetrators in order to move on. We cannot simply condemn them to death. This way, we would never learn. Our future lies beyond the evil in front of us. Do we have the courage and skill to move beyond what is before us?