MKay so I’m gonna talk about something that really befuddles me…. that kind of goes along with what I’ve said before about selling out….
So you know those people…. you know the ones who take up every cause out there because they’re “outraged”…. yeah you know, the Kony people and the Trayvon people and all those other people…. yeah you know who I’m talking about…. those people annoy the crap out of me. And I think the reason why I’m not a huge Hunger Games fan is because it’s in that same vein of…. dare I say it…. Hipsterism(Is that even a word? It is now. copyright gracebug lolz)
I feel like those people are trapped in a fantasy world…. granted they probably feel the same way about me, but come on people…. There are 7 billion people in this world… the cause that you’re supporting is located halfway around the world….. And you actually think that by buying a teeshirt you can make a difference. Really. Really. (I should really consider vlogging. I feel like my tone and attitude don’t come across in text quite like it would in person…. But never mind. This may surprise you, but I’m a relatively shy person… well not shy, per say, but definitely introverted…)
I”m really distracted today.
Anyways. Back on point. I’ve been reading Blue Like Jazz because I saw they were making a movie about it and it intrigued me. hopping on a fad? Perhaps. But I’ve been reading some good things. Mainly in his second chapter labled “Problems” ooooooh ominous. Basically he talks about the one time he went protesting with his friend and how the president(George W Bush at the time) didn’t even look at them and he begins to wonder if he’s actually making a difference. Also he talks about a conversation with a friend about the state of third world countries and the question is asked “Am I capable of rape and murder?”
Which is of course a loaded question. If the answer is no, then what makes you so much better than the people who are raping and murdering in third world countries? Are you more “evolved” than them? But, on the other hand, if you answer “Yes” then you are forced to face your own depravity.
“I am the problem”
Donald Miller, the author of Blue Like Jazz, then goes on to say that every conscious person must come to a point where they stop blaming everyone else for the problems of the world and start examining their own actions. If you have a problem with hunger, then go feed the poor. If you have a problem with politics, go run for office(or vote for pete’s sake). If you have a problem with Kony, well…. I’m stumped there. Go start an orphanage. The old saying “If you want something done right, do it yourself” is very fitting in this case. And true.
Don’t buy a teeshirt, don’t share a photo on facebook, don’t tweet about it…. do something.
Which brings me to my final point.
An atheist once said that “Africa needs Jesus”. In my mind I hear lots of songs…. “Jesus is the answer for the world today. Above him there’s no other, Jesus is the way.” “Woaaaaoooohhh God be the solution. Woaooohhh we will be your hands and be your feet…”
What’s my cause? For what do I stand? Well here’s the deal. You can try and solve the world’s problems through ordinary means and you just might be successful to some extent. But water doesn’t quench the eternal thirst. Food doesn’t satisfy the eternal hunger. As long as satan reigns in man’s heart there will be war(Dee Henderson). A cure for cancer doesn’t cure the human condition.
But Jesus…. Jesus is the eternal humanitarian effort. the all encompassing humanitarian effort. the cure-all.
That’s my cause.