The Blog: ministry, music, media

Hoping for the Best: Violence in our World posted on May 21, 2009

I am sitting in an airport waiting for my flight to board watching CNN and the morning news, with very disturbing images illustrating police chases, alleged crimes and cops beating on a man thrown from a car.  The man is not conscious and on the ground, nor is he innocent in his activities - the police cameras showed his clipping a cop as he drove to get away.

I am not judging anything or anyone - but just wondering what you do if the children are in the room and these real life violent images come on to the screen as you are listening for the news any TV broadcast news organization chooses to bring to the world?  It is a challenging question for parents because you want to catch the news and you want your kids around you.  It is just that you sometimes find the TV news to be not age appropriate for your children.

I also hear parents wanting to instill personal values of integrity, hope, peace and respect as important for the children and the family, so TV news seems to be at odds with this parenting goal and lifestyle. Explaining how adults behave badly to one another - or even more pointedly, violently to one another is a fear parents have like having to explain sex.
It is difficult and one is wise to be prepared for honest and real dialogue (depending on the age of the children).

I invite you to listen to the songs on CGR for clues to good discussions with your children.  If you are interested in having your children engage in peaceful activities, you can find songs that support this idea.  Listen for example to the Kids For Saving Earth theme songs: The KSE Promise Song. 

This song (sung by kids) invites everyone to pledge to treat the earth like your home and to keep it healthy and beautiful.  It is a peaceful thing, with action as the peace.  It becomes a really good context for explaining and living into peaceful, compassionate activity with your kids.  When you have a context for something, it makes the discussion more understandable for you and the kids. 

So, if violence on TV is unavoidable, or you choose to have a discussion about how you feel about violence between people (and the planet), you might be ready because you have put some context in place through the music on CGR.  Even in a world where graphic violence comes into your home through evening news television programming, we can hope for the best because we are prepared.  We have prayed and sung songs of peace and love, compassion and grace!

Keep listening and keep singing!  We can make things better, everyday.

blessings, Pastor Robin

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