Reflections on the Ripple Effect or Quantam Physics

Have you seen the movie "The King's Speech?" I have not, but I have read reviews and heard others talk about it. To me the story of the Duke of York, Albert, shows the power of how all our positive actions can benefit so many people by the ripple effect. Some people call it Quantam physics.

A brief review of history for those who may not know it. Albert was second in line for the throne of England. His older brother, who would have assumed the throne, fell in love with an American divorcee, and was therefore disqualified from becoming the King of England. His brother was next in line. The problem was, his brother stuttered. The Duke's loyal wife, Elizabeth, encouraged him to to visit the eccentric elocutionist Lionel Logue. When World War II broke out, the people needed a morale booster from their tongue-tied King, and they got it. What would have happened had Elizabeth not encouraged him to see the elocutionist? What would have happened if Lionel Logue showed deference to the King, instead of challenging him? What would have happened to the people of England if they did not have their King who was able to encourage them, through verbal communication? We can see how one positive action led to another and led to another with a tremendous impact on a nation.

The same is true of negative actions. We have only to look at the priest scandal in the Catholic Church. Some who were abused as children became priests, and they, in turn, started abusing other children. It is common for the abused to become abusers. Abusers look for easy targets. Priests in the 50's & 60's were so well respected, parents frequently did not believe their children if they told them "Father" did something horribly wrong to them. Words cannot describe the terrible suffering these innocent victims endured from the trusted abusive priests and the well-intentioned parents who possibly did not believe them. The sexual abuse is one type of suffering. The disbelief of the parents, who the children thought would protect them was a whole other type of pain.

Those children grew up and some of them started suing the church. Now Catholic dioceses are going bankrupt and all the good they were able to do before is now paralyzed. An example of this is the diocese of Wilmington where I work. The Bishop is proposing to liquify the money from the Foundation started by Raskob to pay for all the lawsuits. Here are just some of the ministries that will be effected by that: Ministry of Caring who has women, men's, and family shelters, daycare for the poor, addiction services for adolescents, job placement center, a dining room to feed the homeless, and many others. Catholic Charities who provides much needed social services will also be effected. St. Paul's School, which serves poor children, mainly Hispanics and blacks, will also suffer. These are just a few of the services and people who will suffer because of the lawsuits. These innocent poor people were not even born when the abuse by some priests took place. Now thousands of innocent people are being deprived of much needed services, when they had nothing to do with the original abuse.

The point of my reflection is this: I do not believe any of our actions, whether positive or negative, just effect ourselves. They have the potential to effect a nation as with Albert or thousands of innocent poor people as we see today as a result of the abuse scandal.