Clarification on what I'm saying...

Seeing some of the comments on the last entry, and hearing from others some of their thoughts, I want to elaborate on my thoughts a little more...

Complexity. We live in a world of complexity. We cannot make things simple. I don't think the solution falls on a single individual's shoulders (like Bush for Darfur or Iraq, or Clinton for Rwanda, or Kofi Annan or any one person).

I think I'm tired of demonizing politicians as the cause of all evil and indifference in the world. Politicians are about the business of politics... getting elected... keeping approval ratings... being careful technical ambassadors...etc.

Humans are responsible for humanity. I belive in the American system of government-- the way we have it set up. I believe if Americans, as a people, wanted something stopped or something done, thy could influence politicians to do so.

Here's the problem as I see it: we're lazy and indifferent... and comfortable and selfish. We are too lazy to get up off of our lay-z-boys, pause the Tivo, and push aside our spread from Wendy's to write an e-mail to our representatives about what we think and believe. We're too busy to go to a rally or interest meeting (or God forbid produce an interest meeting).

I refer back to the quote I began the last post with ( a part of it): "I was angry with people who could do something, even the simplest things, and they didn't."

Indifference and apathy don't start from the government and work their way down to the people in a democratic society... no, it happens the other way... from the people to the government.

So the problem is me. The problem is my friends. The problem is that a comfortable life easily breeds passivity.

A friend of mine (and future social studies teacher) who stays very up-to-date on global social issues such as the current genocides pointed out that at the root of almost every modern day genocide, civil war, and armed conflict in places like Africa is, simply, a shortage of the basic needs-- food, water, and medicine. There are things we can do about this. There are things we must do about this.

So what do we do? Do we sit around and shake our heads at "governments" or "politicians"... sure, some...

More importantly, we act. Write e-mails, stay informed, donate resources.

Now here's the hardest part for me... in our "getting involved" how much of what we do is for us to feel good about ourselves and how much is about actually helping.

I'm going to get kind of critical directly here, but I feel strongly that this is a real, tangible example for most of us here in Waco and at Baylor. If we go paint a house for "stepping out" once a year does that make us compassionate to the plight of our empoverished neighbors? If we make the houses near our University look better by slapping a few coats of paint over rotting wood and unhealthy living environment, and then put a sign out front that says "THIS ORGANIZATION DID THIS!", who is that for?

Same thing on a global level. We need to find ways to be authentic in our activism. Blaming politicians or mild involvement don't cut it. What I'm doing right now doesn't cut it. How do I do more? I think that's a good question for us to ask.