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Frank L. Hoffman Interviewed: Hope for Human Kind
Answer by Frank L. Hoffman - 6 Mar 2003
Dear Colin and Others:
I have a constant inner nagging, as I know many of you have, between what I see and hear going on in the human race and what I hope will come to pass.
When I look at the dominate forces of violence and destruction, it appears that the human race is heading toward disaster. On the other hand, there are pockets of peace, love and compassion that give me hope that the world's emotional pendulum could begin to come back to where violence would be looked upon with disgust instead of being glorified, as it is today.
The recent anti-war demonstrations are one example of this shift, but even here the choice is often selective and one sided. To be true peacemakers, we need to take a stance against all forms of violence inflicted upon our fellow human beings, the animals, and the environment. When we do less, we appear as hypocrites to many of the people whom we wish would change their violent ways. And violent people will often use this hypocrisy to try to justify their atrocities.
Our Animal Exploitation Photo Journals http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/ has given both Mary and me additional hope. We started this section of our web site a little over five months ago and already we're averaging over 20,000 hits a day. Almost every day we get email from people who say that they never realized how badly animals are treated, and many of them add that they can no longer eat animals.
The key to this unconditional peacemaking movement, which we believe is the only hope of survival for the human race, is that we consistently present the whole truth, and that we live it in every aspect of our lives. And, that we do so openly before the world around us. This is exactly what Jesus Christ did 2,000 years ago, and what Gandhi and King did in more recent years.
The problem we face is that most people are afraid to "rock the boat" of the status quo. They are afraid to expose themselves to ridicule, even when they are presenting the truth. So, they retreat to their inner circles of like minded people and preach and complain to one another without ever affecting any real change in society. True peacemakers are not afraid to take their message to the perpetrators of the violence, because their motives are based upon unconditional love, for love overcome fear.
Colin asks "what steps" we should take, but to us there is one giant step, and that is to live as peacemakers and children of God before the world around us. Furthermore, it's not so much that people assist with the vision that Mary and I hold, but that each one becomes a beacon of truth and hope for others to rally around, and then together we will cause the darkness to flee.
Our hope is in the knowledge that we can accomplish this, if we're willing to do so.
In the Love of the Lord,
Frank
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