The whole event was symbolic of the daily commute that thousands of children in Northern Uganda make every single day just so that they can sleep in a place where they are fairly certain that they will not be kidnapped, brutalized and forced to serve as soldiers in a war with no point and seemingly no end. The purpose of the event was to draw the attention of law-makers and everyday citizens to the on-going crisis.
Today I watched the news as a different nation-wide protest/march took place. Initially I was frustrated at how today's protest seemed to dwarf the demonstration of April 29, in both sheer numbers and media coverage. But then I remembered why a cause like this one is so important. The children in Northern Uganda are truly powerless. They don't take to the streets in protest, but in an attempt at survival. And if they did, who would care. They can't scream for "justice" because they are too busy praying for mercy. And if they did scream, who is there to hear.
I care. I hear. I'm doing what I can. To those of you who would say, "But there are so many other things closer to home that need attention." I would ask what have you done to support one of those causes. To those of you thinking, "You are pretty arrogant to think you can do anything for children you don't know on the other side of the world," I would leave you with the following two quotes from the book White Like Me by Tim Wise:
You do not do the things you do because others will necessarily join you in the doing of them, nor because they will ultimately prove successful. You do the things you do because the things you are doing are right. (originally written in a letter to Mr. Wise from Archbishop Desmond Tutu)
I have no idea whether anything I say, do, or write will make the least bit of difference in the world. But I say it, do it, and write it anyway, because as uncertain as the outcome of our resistance may be, the outcome of our silence and inaction is anything but. We know exactly what will happen if we don't do the work: nothing. And given that choice...I will opt for hope.
And finally as for further personal motivation, I look to the Bible:
Matthew 25:34-46
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
3 comments:
Amen! I grew up believing in a different world than the one we currently live in. Although this very important cause, like numerous others, has been overlooked, you (and those of us standing for our own causes) are all doing the right thing. I pray that one day, ALL war and destruction will end. When I hear of others pursuing their own causes, it gives me hope that our day is near. Thank you for having the courage to stand for what you believe in--even if it means standing (sleeping, walking, etc) alone.
amen brother! you tell it!
sounds like a cool experience...glad you got to be part of it!
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