LET'S TALK ABOUT . . .


                                               "PREEMPTIVE INTERVENTIONS"


Last night the United States launched preemptive airstrikes against ISIS in Syria.  The world is reeling with conflict; daily we hear about wars and rumors of wars around the world.  There will be much controversy around the coalition's strikes last night.  There are always questions regarding whether or not any chosen solution is in fact the best way to try to stop, hold in check or settle a volatile situation.

Interventions are considered, debated and employed every day in a variety of situations.  Parents, families, schools, businesses, mental health programs and agencies, legal and judicial systems, societies around the world, religious organizations, health organizations and those worldwide entities like the UN or World Health Organization are engaged in interventions every day.  The objective is to intervene in order to actualize some desired outcome.

One of the principles behind such attempts is like that of chaos theory: if you interject just the right amount of chaos into an already chaotic situation it may calm the entire system down.  We see this illustrated in chemical interactions, in physics and nuclear science, when the fire department sets a back fire to stop a progressing fire and we see it in various therapies in physical, emotional and mental wellness.

Interventions may be good.  They may not be good.  They may be questionable.  They may appear good in the immediate but fail to produce that same good in the big picture or in the long run.  They are highly debated, even controversial.  What can we say for certain?  They are attempts to stop, hold in check or limit some undesired pattern or outcome.

Not all interventions find their origin in the efforts of mankind.  Nature often produces interventions in both adaptive and maladaptive forms.  Why?  I think sometimes the natural realm is trying to re-establish some kind of stasis within itself and its systems when they are thrown out of balance; a constructive attempt to reconstruct a workable, balanced system. On the other extreme, we see viruses mutating in order to survive the onslaught of chemicals that would annihilate their existence; which can often produce an even more destructive or deadly virus than the original one.

In the whole realm of innovation and technology we are constantly trying to correct actual or anticipated problems by creating what we hope will be creative and beneficial solutions.  This is one of the goals of research in various fields of endeavor.  There will always be those who pervert any attempted good produced through research and development. 

Our legal and judicial systems work hard every day to intervene in the best ways described and prescribed by law to stop, check, intervene in situations and attempt solutions that will bring some kind order in society.  Again, we all know that it will never be perfect and there will always be those who work and pervert any system mankind attempts.

Is there any way we can know for sure that intervention is a good philosophy over against natural processes just simply playing out, like survival of the fittest in nature?  As a philosophy of problem solving, restoration, reclamation or redemption, I believe it has veracity.  In other words, as a corrective or positive, proactive, constructive attempt at solutions, I believe it has merit.  I believe such an approach is as old as time itself.

From the beginning of time intervention was swift, immediate, meant for good and to give hope to those who recognize the deeper predicament of humankind.  It is sure!  Do you see it?  Do you know its out-workings in your own life and situations confronting you every day?  What do you believe?

Until next time . . . this is, Just Janice!