Sunday, May 31, 2009

some month-old thoughts

So then, some of the question is, how do you make someone realize they are partly responsible for someone half-way across the world? It should be easier than it is. We are all human, and if it were your child, your relative, your friend, you would care, you would care enough to do something drastic.
But for some it isn’t easy enough to tell them that they should care about someone they don’t feel responsible for. We already tend to suck about caring for the people around us as much as we should….If we can’t care about the people we see, interact with, live with……why would we give a hell about someone who practically feels invisible to us? So we face the dilemma of tracing down our steps to prove that our actions do indeed affect people we can’t see, people we don’t know who may be thousands of miles away as well as next door.(no man is an island) Some people may flat-out refuse to repent, But there are those, whom, shown the consequences of their actions, may actually decide to start making different ones based on that information…..or rather, based on what that information reveals about ourselves and our priorities.

So the questions run:

-How can people be taught to empathize with others they don’t know?
-What proofs can be brought forward that trace our actions ?
-Why should we be held responsible?
-Is it really our fault that others are deprived of opportunities we have?
-How do we help people see that they should help support organizations that are doing good work, but that they are also personally responsible…..and should learn personal change?


…..and then the harder questions stem from those

Why should we care (about others at all) ?
What makes life, and the way we treat others so important?
Honestly, why bother when we know we won’t convert everyone (to not be selfish or to help others)?

When we rid ourselves of all these other things, all we have left are ….each other…. Others.
Which is why it’s not too hard to be poor and happy, or rich and sad….. Depending on what value determines ‘poor and rich’


People who have sought after the world’s values and riches and prestige are deluded, people who have sought after only their own happiness are as well…..one day we all die. One day all our titles and things and measurements for who we are turn to ashes and blow away like dust. …and these three remain : faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. ‘love never fails’

Most pitied in the world should be those who grasp at power, those who believe who they are is found in what they have, or where they live, or how successful they can be…..those who strive for any and every distraction they can find….those who oppress, those who use, those who grasp, those filled with greed….. Because life has eluded them, and they do not know what it means to be alive, or how to have life and really live.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

reduce, reuse, recycle..........




I saw a sign through a window today, and it almost perfectly sums up the problems I have with the newest trend.....that of being environmental/green/justice/issue minded people.




Um. I'm pretty sure before we ever had any need to recycle things the world was imperfect.



It's good that people want to try and help fix problems that we've helped to create....... but really??

None of that fixes us. WE are the issue. WE are the problem.

The fact is, the 'issue' isn't the issue.

Our characters are.

Our lack of love for eachother is.

Caring about the environment is admirable. Trying to save people from being horribly wronged by others is admirable, and these things should be done.
But what are our reasons for doing these things?

We've set up a system where we can ease our conscience and feel like we are doing our part without it really costing us too much.

Give us an issue to fight and we are mostly willing.

Point out that much of this is due to our own character failings, that we are in essence the cause of the 'evil' we are fighting....and people don't know what to do. They will fight hard in any battle, until they find out that the enemy is actually staring them in the mirror.

It's so easy to point fingers and tell someone else they are in the wrong, it's so much harder to realize that I myself don't love people like I should; That the enemy I am actually fighting is myself.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

If we actually lived what Jesus taught, if we actually walked in his footsteps, if we learned to love like he loved..........
and none of it for personal gain.......
do you think more people would be convinced?
Do you think more people would see what love was?

Saturday, May 2, 2009

If anyone out there knows of organizations that are doing some really good work out there, or situations that don't tend to get a lot of publicity.....PLEASE, leave me a comment with a website, or a link, or any information regarding it.