Theme: Faith
"Powell, in his pragmatic way, wanted what I wanted: a fair shot. A place to develop himself. A code that would instill discipline, restrain passion, and order his steps. A way to change the world without first unleashing the whirlwind." (page 132)
At the beginning of the chapter, the faith that the author Wes Moore displays is not one of religion, but a faith in more secular teachings. Moore has confidence in Colin Powell's worldview-- more than that, he has faith that the world is a good place, that it is not necessary to destroy all existing institutions ("unleashing the whirlwind") to make a positive change. Throughout the chapter, Moore describes his faith in the "code that would instill discipline, restrain passion, and order his steps": the military life, which gives him the level of rigor and discipline he needs. At military school, Wes has learned to be punctual and to follow orders, to operate with success within the already existing structures of life instead of breaking outside the box to find a new order that is completely accommodating to him. Thus his faith becomes a military-like faith, one that works based on clear rules and definite structure. He believes in Powell's teachings so much because the military is what lifted him out of a downhill track and into a path to success, and he has faith that it can do the same for other young boys just like him.
"The notion that life is transient, that it can come and go quickly, unexpectedly, had been with me since I had seen my own father die. In the Bronx, the idea of life's impermanence underlined everything for kids my age-- it drove some of us to a paralyzing apathy, stopped us from even thinking too far into the future... But I started to see it a little differently that day. Life's impermanence, I realized, is what makes every single day so precious. It's what shapes our time here. It's what makes it so important that not a single moment be missed." (page 133)
Here, Moore displays faith in a different belief system: the idea that every day is precious, and that the unpredictable nature of life should not discourage one from living each moment to its fullest. The influence of his childhood in the Bronx is evident in this faith-- he cites as an incredibly influential example his father's unexpected death. However, unlike other boys who have only had bad experiences with the impermanence of life, boys who have grown up with neighborhoods like the Bronx or West Baltimore as the only home they have ever known, Moore has had experience with a different type of life. One of the most important unpredictable changes in his life was his mother's choice to put him in military school, which he neither expected nor exercised any form of control over. This unexpected change was ultimately one that would change his life and career-- if it had not occurred, his future may have ended up looking a lot more like the other Wes Moore's. For this reason, Moore has learned to embrace life's unexpectedness. He is not apathetic because, unlike the boys in his old neighborhood, he has experienced the positive things that can come from dramatic life changes and not solely the negative ones, and thus has faith in the fact that his time is precious and that life's impermanence can lead to exciting new opportunities.
"As we were seconds away from taking the leap, the multitude of prayers that left the plane were palpable. I stared at the yellow light at the front of the plane, waiting for it to turn green; I spoke with God, asking Him to watch over me and the others in the plane. The excessively hot and cramped conditions, coupled with the fact that some of the toughest schools in the military take place at Fort Benning, have earned the base the nickname 'the land that God forgot.' I was hoping He'd remember us today." (page 135)
There is an important distinction between the title of Fort Benning and the faith of those who still inhabit it. Though Wes Moore and his fellow soldiers have jokingly nicknamed the place where they are preparing to become paratroopers 'the land that God forgot,' they themselves have obviously not forgotten God: Moore writes that he could feel in the very atmosphere of the plane "the multitude of prayers" as everyone prepared to jump. The fact that everyone in the plane is praying means that God, or some form of god, has a special significance to them: they have faith in the power that he can save their lives. Moore himself prays seriously to God for safe passage, writing that he hopes that "He'd remember us today." Buried in this line is the hope of salvation: even if God is not always at the base, or forgets it for brief periods of time, in Wes's mind there is always a chance of remembrance. He has faith in the fact that God will be there when he needs Him-- if not during the tedious struggles of everyday life at the base, then at least in truly life-threatening situations like jumping out of a plane. The irony in the passage is clear: in the very base nicknamed 'the land that God forgot,' the presence of God is undeniable even to Wes, as shown through his descriptions of his prayers and the prayers of others.
"Where was God when people didn't make enough money to feed their families? Where was God when kids were selling rocks at twelve years old, and their parents encouraged it because the kids were the main breadwinners in the home?...'Fuck God,' he said, drawing in a lungful of smoke. 'If He does exist, He sure doesn't spend any time in West Baltimore.'" (page 140)
Although both the author Wes and the other Wes Moore ruminate on the fact that God is not present in their current locations, the way that they display their faith is undeniably different. While the author Wes's description of 'the land that God forgot' makes clear that there is a God who does exist, and opens the possibility of future remembrance, the other Moore's faith is much less hopeful. Wes has never had an opportunity for salvation akin to the author Wes's life-changing time spent at boarding school. He has spent his entire life in the same type of neighborhood, engaging in the same activities with the same people. Unlike the author, who has seen a better future for himself through the words of Colin Powell and the institutional benefits he has received, Wes's only reference point is the day-to-day suffering he sees in his community, the atrocities that children and families face without any support, secular or otherwise. Thus, Wes's statement "If He does exist" not only calls into question the fact that God is in West Baltimore-- it questions the very existence of God Himself. Wes's faith in God, not just in His redemptive powers but in the question of whether He exists at all, is virtually nonexistent. This lack of religious faith is also seen in the expletive he uses to describe God. "'Fuck God'" is in no way equivalent to the author Wes's hopeful prayers; it does not leave the door open for redemption. Cursing God is not a way to ensure that he will save one's life in the future-- rather, it is Moore's assertion that God does not exist and will never exist in West Baltimore or anywhere that he goes. "'Fuck God'" takes away God's power: Moore is not scared of being smote or somehow killed by the wrath of God because he knows that it is impossible; that would mean that God would have to care about him. Though the two Moores at first seem to share similar religious beliefs, the other Wes's utter lack of faith compared to the author Wes's acknowledgement of God and hope for salvation becomes clear through a deeper reading of the passage.
"To Wes, the house was more than just a project to complete. It was a daily reminder of why he was there. These past months had been the most important and enjoyable in Wes's life. He'd learned skills, gained confidence, and finally felt his life could go in a different direction. He stayed at the Job Corps Center so he could provide a better life for his kids. He stayed for his mother, who sat home watching Tony continue moving in and out of the criminal justice system. He stayed at the Job Corps Center for himself." (pages 143-4)
Wes may not believe in God, but he displays his faith in other ways. The house he builds for his daughter as the culminating project at the Job Corps Center is a tangible representation of the system of faith he feels with his children, his mother, and his own hard work and effort. For Wes, God is not what gives him the strength to live from day to day: rather, it is his own strength and perseverance. The house that he builds is "a daily reminder of why he was there," just as God is to people all over the world. Wes has grown up in a troubled neighborhood, and he has spent his whole life being blamed for the things that he does-- he was unable to finish school because he had missed so many days and his teachers were unwilling to teach him, and he has already been labeled a failure by police officers and principals and to some degree his own parents. Building a house for his daughter is a way for him to prove to himself that he can create something good. Moore writes that it is "more than just a project to complete"-- rather, it is something that he can do with his own hands and hard work to connect himself back to his family, himself, and even his larger community. The project of building the house literally becomes Moore's faith, if only because it represents so much more than just a structure made out of wood. It represents that Moore can have a future-- that for the first time, people don't have to blame him for doing something wrong, but can congratulate him for being at the top of his class, for doing something that no one else could do. It represents his family connections: by working so hard to build something for her daughter, he can prove to her and to himself that he is invested in her future, that he has a purpose in life beyond selling drugs and being in a gang. Thus, despite the fact that Wes does not believe in God, he is able to find faith in building his daughter's house in the chapter "The Land That God Forgot."
"Powell, in his pragmatic way, wanted what I wanted: a fair shot. A place to develop himself. A code that would instill discipline, restrain passion, and order his steps. A way to change the world without first unleashing the whirlwind." (page 132)
At the beginning of the chapter, the faith that the author Wes Moore displays is not one of religion, but a faith in more secular teachings. Moore has confidence in Colin Powell's worldview-- more than that, he has faith that the world is a good place, that it is not necessary to destroy all existing institutions ("unleashing the whirlwind") to make a positive change. Throughout the chapter, Moore describes his faith in the "code that would instill discipline, restrain passion, and order his steps": the military life, which gives him the level of rigor and discipline he needs. At military school, Wes has learned to be punctual and to follow orders, to operate with success within the already existing structures of life instead of breaking outside the box to find a new order that is completely accommodating to him. Thus his faith becomes a military-like faith, one that works based on clear rules and definite structure. He believes in Powell's teachings so much because the military is what lifted him out of a downhill track and into a path to success, and he has faith that it can do the same for other young boys just like him.
"The notion that life is transient, that it can come and go quickly, unexpectedly, had been with me since I had seen my own father die. In the Bronx, the idea of life's impermanence underlined everything for kids my age-- it drove some of us to a paralyzing apathy, stopped us from even thinking too far into the future... But I started to see it a little differently that day. Life's impermanence, I realized, is what makes every single day so precious. It's what shapes our time here. It's what makes it so important that not a single moment be missed." (page 133)
Here, Moore displays faith in a different belief system: the idea that every day is precious, and that the unpredictable nature of life should not discourage one from living each moment to its fullest. The influence of his childhood in the Bronx is evident in this faith-- he cites as an incredibly influential example his father's unexpected death. However, unlike other boys who have only had bad experiences with the impermanence of life, boys who have grown up with neighborhoods like the Bronx or West Baltimore as the only home they have ever known, Moore has had experience with a different type of life. One of the most important unpredictable changes in his life was his mother's choice to put him in military school, which he neither expected nor exercised any form of control over. This unexpected change was ultimately one that would change his life and career-- if it had not occurred, his future may have ended up looking a lot more like the other Wes Moore's. For this reason, Moore has learned to embrace life's unexpectedness. He is not apathetic because, unlike the boys in his old neighborhood, he has experienced the positive things that can come from dramatic life changes and not solely the negative ones, and thus has faith in the fact that his time is precious and that life's impermanence can lead to exciting new opportunities.
"As we were seconds away from taking the leap, the multitude of prayers that left the plane were palpable. I stared at the yellow light at the front of the plane, waiting for it to turn green; I spoke with God, asking Him to watch over me and the others in the plane. The excessively hot and cramped conditions, coupled with the fact that some of the toughest schools in the military take place at Fort Benning, have earned the base the nickname 'the land that God forgot.' I was hoping He'd remember us today." (page 135)
There is an important distinction between the title of Fort Benning and the faith of those who still inhabit it. Though Wes Moore and his fellow soldiers have jokingly nicknamed the place where they are preparing to become paratroopers 'the land that God forgot,' they themselves have obviously not forgotten God: Moore writes that he could feel in the very atmosphere of the plane "the multitude of prayers" as everyone prepared to jump. The fact that everyone in the plane is praying means that God, or some form of god, has a special significance to them: they have faith in the power that he can save their lives. Moore himself prays seriously to God for safe passage, writing that he hopes that "He'd remember us today." Buried in this line is the hope of salvation: even if God is not always at the base, or forgets it for brief periods of time, in Wes's mind there is always a chance of remembrance. He has faith in the fact that God will be there when he needs Him-- if not during the tedious struggles of everyday life at the base, then at least in truly life-threatening situations like jumping out of a plane. The irony in the passage is clear: in the very base nicknamed 'the land that God forgot,' the presence of God is undeniable even to Wes, as shown through his descriptions of his prayers and the prayers of others.
"Where was God when people didn't make enough money to feed their families? Where was God when kids were selling rocks at twelve years old, and their parents encouraged it because the kids were the main breadwinners in the home?...'Fuck God,' he said, drawing in a lungful of smoke. 'If He does exist, He sure doesn't spend any time in West Baltimore.'" (page 140)
Although both the author Wes and the other Wes Moore ruminate on the fact that God is not present in their current locations, the way that they display their faith is undeniably different. While the author Wes's description of 'the land that God forgot' makes clear that there is a God who does exist, and opens the possibility of future remembrance, the other Moore's faith is much less hopeful. Wes has never had an opportunity for salvation akin to the author Wes's life-changing time spent at boarding school. He has spent his entire life in the same type of neighborhood, engaging in the same activities with the same people. Unlike the author, who has seen a better future for himself through the words of Colin Powell and the institutional benefits he has received, Wes's only reference point is the day-to-day suffering he sees in his community, the atrocities that children and families face without any support, secular or otherwise. Thus, Wes's statement "If He does exist" not only calls into question the fact that God is in West Baltimore-- it questions the very existence of God Himself. Wes's faith in God, not just in His redemptive powers but in the question of whether He exists at all, is virtually nonexistent. This lack of religious faith is also seen in the expletive he uses to describe God. "'Fuck God'" is in no way equivalent to the author Wes's hopeful prayers; it does not leave the door open for redemption. Cursing God is not a way to ensure that he will save one's life in the future-- rather, it is Moore's assertion that God does not exist and will never exist in West Baltimore or anywhere that he goes. "'Fuck God'" takes away God's power: Moore is not scared of being smote or somehow killed by the wrath of God because he knows that it is impossible; that would mean that God would have to care about him. Though the two Moores at first seem to share similar religious beliefs, the other Wes's utter lack of faith compared to the author Wes's acknowledgement of God and hope for salvation becomes clear through a deeper reading of the passage.
"To Wes, the house was more than just a project to complete. It was a daily reminder of why he was there. These past months had been the most important and enjoyable in Wes's life. He'd learned skills, gained confidence, and finally felt his life could go in a different direction. He stayed at the Job Corps Center so he could provide a better life for his kids. He stayed for his mother, who sat home watching Tony continue moving in and out of the criminal justice system. He stayed at the Job Corps Center for himself." (pages 143-4)
Wes may not believe in God, but he displays his faith in other ways. The house he builds for his daughter as the culminating project at the Job Corps Center is a tangible representation of the system of faith he feels with his children, his mother, and his own hard work and effort. For Wes, God is not what gives him the strength to live from day to day: rather, it is his own strength and perseverance. The house that he builds is "a daily reminder of why he was there," just as God is to people all over the world. Wes has grown up in a troubled neighborhood, and he has spent his whole life being blamed for the things that he does-- he was unable to finish school because he had missed so many days and his teachers were unwilling to teach him, and he has already been labeled a failure by police officers and principals and to some degree his own parents. Building a house for his daughter is a way for him to prove to himself that he can create something good. Moore writes that it is "more than just a project to complete"-- rather, it is something that he can do with his own hands and hard work to connect himself back to his family, himself, and even his larger community. The project of building the house literally becomes Moore's faith, if only because it represents so much more than just a structure made out of wood. It represents that Moore can have a future-- that for the first time, people don't have to blame him for doing something wrong, but can congratulate him for being at the top of his class, for doing something that no one else could do. It represents his family connections: by working so hard to build something for her daughter, he can prove to her and to himself that he is invested in her future, that he has a purpose in life beyond selling drugs and being in a gang. Thus, despite the fact that Wes does not believe in God, he is able to find faith in building his daughter's house in the chapter "The Land That God Forgot."
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