Nougat 6

Siblings, sometimes when we read the biblical texts, it is an invitation to apply it to our current situations. We continue yesterday’s reflection on being pressed into service with Today’s Holy Nougat

““Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” … The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah.” ‭‭

Daniel‬ ‭1‬:‭4a, 5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Pressed Into Service 2

You may recall that yesterday we learned about Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Judah. (Judah, because by the time Bucky rose to power, the Kingdom of Israel of David and Solomon’s era has become 2: Israel and Judah). King Buck’s war strategy included taking the best young people, particularly males, and pressing them into military service. They were not the ordinary youth, rather they were among the social and intellectual elite in the country.

Siblings, this is not much different from the brain drain many of our countries face – except that in Bucky’s day this was undoubtedly forced migration, with little coercion employed. Recently I read of the staggering statistics on brain drain globally, and my home country, Jamaica was unfortunately at the very top tier. Brain drain affects a country’s GDP, as some of the people have left for greener pastures. These days, the coercion tactics are different, and several of the persons who are involved in the migration opt to do so in the hope of ‘better opportunities’.

Another similarity we note in the ‘brain drain’ process is inculturation. The ones brought into the new country are taught to think and reason in the new language and fed the foods of the new land. This is common enough a practice in many ‘First World’ contexts, so much so that to become a citizen, one must speak the language of the new country, understand its history and politics and be able to articulate on these in an exam.

And while the treasures are no longer taken out of the reserves and temples (sic), the loss of critical masses in the Decision-making, Health, Finance and Education sectors, from all walks of life becomes a challenge to these already economically burdened countries.

Then, unlike now, once conscripted, the migrants became federal/state employees (perhaps because of colonialism versus ordinary migration). As we reflect, I invite us to consider how the current system can be counterbalanced to improve the lives of those left behind. Not only in relation to remittances, or assisting them to migrate, but also looking at building up these countries, albeit from a distance, or even from the inside.

As people of faith, one could say we also are from Judah (i.e., praise). How might we turn things around?

(https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/…/human_flight_brain…/)

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May all we seek be found in Christ