Chile notes 2: Perspectives

10/21

graffiti everywhere....

When the word first came about protests, my one friend looked very worried. I trust her perspective because she is in many ways the most worldly of my church related friends, having worked many secular jobs including several years in guest relations at a casino. She has a good feel for the street. There is so much just under the surface, just waiting to explode, she said. And it did. 

On our way back from the beach, a friend in the administration of the Theological Community asks what the text for my Sunday sermon is. I tell him Luke 18: 1-8, the persistent woman. He says I think that has much to say about what is going on right now…The people as the widow, the government as the judge.  When he sees me off at the Concepcion bus station, he tells me that he usually is in the streets for every protest. But not this time. Too much random violence. The broken windows, looting. Five people died in a fire set in a clothing manufacturing plant. Some people believe the army is allowing a certain amount of vandalism and looting  so that people will support the army control to bring order back. Some even suspect the government of placing provocateurs to start the looting. And some say it’s just the too long repressed hopes of the underclass as the rich get richer. And my life experience tells me probably all three are true.

Grocery stores have been looted. Emptied. On my way from the bus station I saw a line two blocks long. People waiting for one remaining store to open. The hostal is running out of food.

The Lutheran pastor has a tired and sad look on his face.

with Pastor Luis Alvarez

He says we need to think of ourselves  not only as the widow, but also the judge. How have we denied or delayed justice to others? What is our responsibility? He has a keen analysis of how economic democracy has not kept up with political democracy. Turns out he is a native born Chilean who was arrested, escaped and spent 18 years in exile in Argentina. He sees the young people in the streets. The armored military vehicles. Do we have to go through this again? He wonders. He shares his head. They just don’t know, they just don’t know…

This can’t all be spontaneous. There must be some planning somewhere. But who? Is there an end game?

Sun streams in through the hostal windows.  Traffic moving in the street.  It could be almost normal. We’ll see what the afternoon brings.