Remembering Tom Fox

Tom Fox was a truly extra-ordinary man. Killed last week in Iraq after being taken hostage 4 months ago in Baghdad, the Sprinfield, VA Quaker and peace activist had been keeping a blog of his time in Iraq, living outside the "secure" part of Baghdad since September 2004, at http://waitinginthelight.blogspot.com/. Fox is eulogized in this Connection Newspaper editorial.

Fox's life story, which is well-covered in this Connection Newspaper article, is particularly amazing and inspiring. A friend said Fox would've wanted to be thought of as an ordinary man, but I doubt that friend or many others would agree. I have never been a man of extraordinary faith, but a life like this one, an seemingly average joe (a grocery store assistant manager) who answered a higher calling and did something incredible, inspires me to take a closer examination of my spirituality and relationship to God. It should also inspire all of us to clear our eyes, minds, and hearts from the fog of this war, and look for solutions that bring about peace.

I have been a supporter of the intervention in Iraq since it was announced by the President. I continue to support the presence of the U.S. military in Iraq, but those of us who stand for those American values, those of us who believe in the shining city on the hill, those of us who believe that our men and women are sacrificing there lives for the betterment of the Iraqi people and the safety and security of the world would do well to hold dear to our hearts the memories, principles, and words of Tom Fox.

The only “something in my life” I can hold onto is to do what little I can to bring about the creation of the Peaceable Realm of God. It is my sense that such a realm will always have natural disasters. It is the “man-made” disasters that we are called upon to bring to and end.