I am reading this really interesting book called Good News About Injustice, by Gary Haugen. In case you are not aware of who Gary Haugen is, he is the guy who founded International Justice Mission. I highly recommend that if you have any interest, whatsoever, in any kind of humanitarian acts that you check out the website http://www.ijm.org/. IJM does amazing work all over the world. I got into bed about 20 minutes ago, to read. This book talks about the different ways that Christians get involved with humanitarian activism. I read this passage, and hopped out of bed to blog it before the excitement wore off.
The battle for justice in the world is not fought where we think it is. The struggle against injustice is not fought on the battlefield of power or truth or even righteousness. There are pitched battles waged on these ramparts, but the war is ultimately won or lost on a more forward front. In the end the battle against oppression stands or falls on the battlefield of hope.
No one knows this better than the oppressors. They know that they never have enough power, lies or loyalty to withstand the onslaught of even a fraction of the power, truth, and courage that humanity could at any minute amass against them. Therefore they rely on, utterly depend on, the inaction of despair. They know full well that that their preeminence depends on most people in their community, their nation and their world doing nothing.
The oppressor knows that the primary reason we do nothing is because we have lost any hope of making a difference. It is not that we lack power, compassion, courage or knowledge. Rather, we lack a sense of hope that allows us to take what we have into the fray. By sheer inertia, therefore, we lend our own weight to the downward cycle of despair. Our lack of hope keeps us from the front lines of engagement. And our absence only makes the oppressor look stronger, compounding our despair and that of those who might otherwise be prepared to fight.
(Deep sigh) I am relieved to have found this in print somewhere, as these are the thoughts that I have kept in my head but have been unable to express. Oppression is everywhere. It lurks around every dark corner. It's a disease that seemingly has no cure. Humanitarian organizations all over the world are attempting to crush this despair that the world has built up. Good people, amazing people are making hardcore attempts everyday to seize, rescue, educate, and guide those left in despair. I am so proud to want to be one of these people... but at the same time, feel helpless in the place that I am. I so desperately want to be involved, to "save the world" as a good friend recently told me that I would be doing.
From Raleigh, North Carolina, I feel that there is not much that I can do except make others aware of what I am learning everyday. I hope that others find themselves as appalled as I do and want to get involved. There is so much to do. There are so many people that need our help. Look at what we have as Americans. Look at the luxuries that we have been given, just by chance. We could have easily been born in any other part of the world. We could have easily been born in India, and been sold to a brothel at the age of 8 or 10. We could have been born in Bengladesh, and have to worry about extreme poverty. We could have been born in the Sudan, and have to deal with consistent war.
We have everything. We have "the world" at our fingertips. Put yourself in the shoes of citizens of these countries. Realize how lucky you are. Ask God why He chose you to live in such amazing conditions. Thank Him for this privilege.
1 comment:
I love that book and that quote is absolutely true.
The power of the oppressor is the power of negativity, of absence. Darkness is just the absence of light. And that is the strongest weapon they have - darkness.
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