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The True Citizen, Wednesday, February 16, 2022 — Page 5
Michael N. Searles
SELF-IMMOLATION
Ronda Rich
MR. BERLIN SIMS: A GREAT AMERICAN
Most Americans are unaware
of the practice of self-immola
tion. It is the action of setting
fire to oneself, especially as
a form of protest or sacrifice.
It has a centuries-long rec
ognition as the most extreme
form of protest possible by
humankind. The world was
given a visual display of this
act during the Vietnam War.
Thfch Quang Due, a Vietnam
ese Mahayana Buddhist monk,
burned himself to death at a
busy Saigon road intersection
on 11 June 1963. Quang Due
was protesting the persecution
of Buddhists by the South
Vietnamese government led
by Ngo Dinh Diem, a staunch
Roman Catholic.
Photographs of his self-
immolation circulated around
the world, drawing attention to
the policies of the Diem gov
ernment. John F. Kennedy said
of one photograph, "No news
picture in history has generated
so much emotion around the
world as that one.”
While people around the
world were mesmerized at the
sight of such a willful act, few
were inclined to follow the
monk’s action. Christians his
torically have viewed suicide
as a grave sin and an example
of self-idolatry. An underlying
distressing principle is that a
successful suicide allows no
time for repentance. We place
a high value on life as reflected
on heartfelt views on abortions.
Christian missionary physi
cians spent their lives serving
and extending the lives of those
society throws away. Dr. John
Dreisbach a Christian pioneer
in the treatment of leprosy in
Africa was one example. His
reason for giving his life in
this pursuit was simple: This
is what the Bible commands
us to do. When we decide to
sacrifice our lives for unrea
sonable beliefs, we are skirting
with idolatry. We often think of
idols as material possessions
but they can be less tangible.
The love of money, prestige,
envy, lust that are sometimes
called the cardinal sins can
be all consuming and lead
to idolatry. Most Christians
believe that God is the author
of medical science and he
gave that medical knowledge
to human beings. It is for that
reason most believers visit
doctors and go to a hospital
when medical treatment is
required.
Christians as a rule do not
view seeking medical treat
ment as a contradiction to their
religious faith. We are now in
the midst of a COVID pandem
ic that has claimed more than
5,712,394 lives worldwide. In
the United States, that number
will soon reach 1,000,000.
There are more deaths in the
United States than any other
country in the world. Medical
scientists’ estimate that at least
300,000 persons now deceased
would still be alive if they had
taken the available COVID
vaccines. There are reasons
a third of our population fall
into an unvaccinated category:
Some are too young to take the
vaccines, the lack of access to
the vaccine, lacking the fear of
contracting COVID, concerns
for vaccine side effects, lack of
trust in the vaccines, mistrust
of institutions, and those who
have accepted varied con
spiracy theories.
Candace Amber Owens
Farmer an American conser
vative author, talk show host,
political commentator, and
activist said, “I am not getting
this vaccine. Ever! Never go
ing to get it. I don’t care if I’m
on my deathbed and they say
it can save you, I’m not going
to get it. I’m principally now
opposed to it, and I do not
understand why anyone who is
healthy, able-bodied and young
would ever get this vaccine if
you’re not at risk of Covid.”
A North Caroli
na Burke County
man, Chad Car- SEARLES,
swell, said he will 13
In the South Alabama town
of Bay Minette, just outside
Mobile, lived a great man and
an American hero.
I did not know him. That
saddens me.
Yet I had the privilege of
walking in with the family and
sitting on the third bench of the
First Baptist Church as a mass
of town’s people turned out
on a Tuesday afternoon to say
good-bye to a man who served
his God, his country, his family
and his community.
The two days I spent with
the Sims family reminded
me strongly of what a life
well lived means to countless
people.
Truly, I was not worthy of
the opportunity to sit so close
to the flag-covered coffin but
the family had shown grace
and invited me to join them, to
travel in the processional along
the tree-lined streets to the
cemetery escorted by several
police cars while other patrol
cars stopped traffic and law
enforcement officers saluted
as the hearse passed by.
At the church, two preachers
extoled the goodness of his
steadfast Christian witness;
an Army Colonel reminded us
that military service of men
like Berlin Sims keeps America
strong and free; the congrega
tion stood to sing “Victory
in Jesus” then, perhaps most
affecting of all, his son, Mitch
ell, and grandchildren stepped
quietly on stage and performed,
with strings and piano, a haunt
ing melody.
The song was mournful
and to my Appalachian ear,
it sounded like the sad fiddles
and ballads of my mountain
people. In the musical notes,
I could hear the pain of a hard
survival yet a gentle crossing
over the River Jordan. I learned
later that the song “Ashokan
Farewell” was composed as
a lament by Jay Ungar - and
indeed inspired by Appalachian
music. It is the theme music to
Ken Bums’ documentary: The
Civil War.
Later, at the cemetery, a light
rain fell. One of the preach
ers offered me shelter under
an enormous black umbrella.
From there, I watched as a man
in his 90s, hobbled toward the
casket then stood to the side.
He wore a billed-hat embroi
dered , “World War II Veteran.”
A 21-gun salute bred and Taps
played.
Still, through all of this and
though emotionally moved, I
did not cry until...
And, this is where I always
cry: a neatly folded flag was
presented to his widow, Linda,
and a soldier, looking her
directly in the eyes, said, “On
behalf of the President of
the United States, the United
States Army and a grateful na
tion, please accept this flag as
a symbol of our appreciation.”
Beneath the black umbrella,
my lips quivered and tears
pooled. The widow and family
wept gently, too.
This is how I came to be in
the presence of such greatness
and had the honor to mourn
a World War II veteran who
spent 95 years giving to oth
ers: his son, Terry, is a cher
ished friend of ours. Though
Mr. Sims had never heard my
name or knew that I existed, it
was important that I make the
seven-hour drive to join in the
remembrance of an astound
ing man.
Terry has been a much be
loved member of the extended
Tinker family for well over 30
years. Like his father, Terry
has a servant’s heart and sheds
his kindness on all whom he
encounters. For decades, Terry
has lived in New York City but
he never left behind
his lilting Alabama SEE
drawl or his respect- pj|Q^
ful Southern man-
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