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The images haunt me. People standing in front of state capitols hosting American flags, assault-styled weapons slung over their shoulders, demanding COVID-19 restrictions be lifted. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the anarchists, thugs and looters, who turn peaceful protests into opportunities to riot and pillage.       

Anad Giridharadas, author of “Winners Take All,” states that such provocateurs have an infantile perception of freedom. Freedom is equated with the absence of government, whereas the real threats to our security lie elsewhere.

Five hundred years ago, the reformer, Martin Luther, wrote a short book entitled “The Freedom of the Christian.” His thesis was that a “Christian is lord of all, completely free of everything” and “a Christian is a servant, completely attentive to the needs of all.”

As did Giridharadas, Luther saw that the real threats to society lie elsewhere. It exists as a paradox of good and evil existing within each of us. As Christians, we recognize we are both “saints” and “sinners” at the same time.

The Apostle Paul put it this way: “I find this law at work (within me): When I want to do good, evil is right there with me” (Romans 7:21 NIV). Presidential historian Jon Meacham frames it as a battle of our worst instincts with our better angels. 

The real threats to freedom and our sense of security lie within — prejudice, suspicion, avarice, xenophobia, envy, unsubstantiated reasons to fear …the list is all but endless.  However, they all share one thing in common. Whether it is armed protestors outside state capitols or rioting looters, “It’s all about me!” and not about “my neighbor.”

We can draw upon our “better angels” as we battle our worst instincts. When “Black Lives Matter” protesters fanned out across the country, the Minneapolis police chief was seen kneeling at the makeshift memorial for George Floyd. In Hollywood and New York City, protesters and police were shaking hands and hugging each other. 

Our worst instincts focus on the 2% who destroy and pillage. Our better angels join hands with the 98% who hope that this time things will finally change for the better. As one who has vivid memories of the Civil Rights Movement in the ’60s, the scope of this movement is similar in terms of public support. It’s not “all about me.” It’s not about fearing “my neighbor.” It’s about serving “my neighbor.”

Kenneth A. Jensen

Albert Lea