It just goes to show that we all have our stereotypes.
I spent my morning at Bishop Ward High School in KCK, covering a duo of Iraq war vets who are now opposed to the war.
As I made my way to the event, I assumed it would be similar to the hundreds of anti-war protests I’ve covered during my career. I assumed I would hear a lot about perceived injustices carried out by coalition forces, and a lot of old cliches, like “war is not the answer”.
It turns out, I was only half right.
21-year-old Josh Stieber of Maryland and 25-year-old Conor Curran of Ohio have been biking cross-country, spreading a message of peace, understanding and active dialogue. Sounds like more of the same, right? Just wait.
Now, I want to be clear, both young men are strongly opposed to the war. And they did talk about American soldiers behaving in a way we’d rather not think about here at home. But their message is anything but a blanket statement against military might.
When Stieber’s feelings became strong enough, he filed the necessary paperwork to become a conscientious objector. According to his story, this wasn’t very popular within his unit, and he took some verbal abuse for his actions. But when a local peace group asked him to speak out in opposition to the war, Josh Stieber did a funny thing. He declined.
As Stieber explained to the group of students he spoke to, he had come to the realization that lack of understanding and more importantly, lack of love is the cause of so many of the world’s problems. By joining the other side of the debate, he wouldn’t be acting in love, just in protest.
Once both men got out of the military, they struggled to put away the pain of the past. One thing led to another, and soon, they found themselves on this American road trip.
Their message is that understanding comes first through dialogue. They preach that cultures must work to understand cultures, while on a smaller scale, neighbors must work to understand neighbors.
Trying to save the world isn’t going to happen, says Stieber. But true unconditional love can make a small difference in the smallest, most insignificant of lives.
On his blog, Stieber says, “I want to do a little to remember the man that churches are built for. The man who visited the orphans, served the poor, clothed the naked, fed the hungry and loved”.
Even my blogging on this subject cannot do justice to the powerful message which these two young men are preaching. I find it profound, and much bigger than I could ever hope to be.