On a More Serious Note
I have a friend who believes that when it comes to movies dealing with critical issues, don’t watch it if you don’t plan on doing anything about it. His argument for this is that it just desensitizes us to a point where it becomes the norm to not react to the injustice that we’re seeing. Movies such as Hotel Rwanda or Blood Diamond. I have to admit that I saw both these movies and to his point, although deeply moved and disturbed by the injustice of it all, didn’t do anything about it. So when NBC Nightly News and Today did a news report on the crisis in Congo, I tuned in remembering my friend and knowing that I no longer wanted to ignore these critical issues happening around the world. As I watched, I learned that the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has caused more than 5.4 million people to die since 1998. But more than this staggering number, it was a personal story of a young woman that moved me to tears. She had been brutally raped over a period of 2 days by soldiers who had also killed both her parents right in front of her eyes. Instead of harboring anger and hatred by what had happened to her and her family, she thanked God for saving her from death and had hope for her life. I was blown away. I have since gone online and researched more about the conflict in Congo, the people and history there, and how I can help.
I am the first to admit that on many levels, I have been desensitized by the overload of all the bad that is out there and the hopelessness I’ve felt being one individual in this massive world. But whether you decide to take action or not, I do think it’s crucial to keep our minds active and aware of what’s going on around us. That something or someone will trigger a passion in you for you to say enough is enough and actually do something about it. And I’ve learned that if you haven’t felt the passion yet, just taking the step to do what is right will inform and shape your heart.
For a very compelling and powerful photo documentary on the crisis in Congo, check out http://mediastorm.org/0022.htm
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