It shouldn't come as a shock to you all that I make decisions and take action based on what my heart/emotions tell me. I feel something or my heart starts getting tugged at - I do something in reaction. That's just how I'm wired. It's my greatest strength, but it can also be my greatest weakness because I don't always know all of the information.
Thankfully, I know people who use their heads more than I do. ;)
A friend of mine shared this article about Invisible Children with me in response to the KONY 2012 campaign. I haven't decided if I agree with what they are saying or not, but it raises some good points. I would love for you to share your thoughts!
http://siena-anstis.com/2012/03/07/on-invisible-childrens-kony-2012-campaign/
Some other sites to check out are...
http://paigebaker.blogspot.com/2012/03/kony-2012-harm-or-good.html
http://justiceinconflict.org/2012/03/07/taking-kony-2012-down-a-notch/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/invisible-childrens-stop-kony-campaign/2012/03/07/gIQA7B31wR_blog.html
http://fishingboatproceeds.tumblr.com/post/18888907871/kony-2012
None of this is to say that the Kony 2012 campaign or Invisible Children are wrong or anything. I fully think their hearts are in the right place, and at the moment I can't really see any other way that us "average Joes" can help. But I also want to encourage everyone to do research and see all side of the story as well.
Some of my own thoughts that I've been having...
I don't like war. Not that there really are many people who are all "I LOVE WAR", but when I see videos like the Kony2012, or read books like The Hunger Games, all I can think about is how much I hate war.
I understand that it's one of those necessary evils. It's part of our world and war will always be there.
That doesn't mean I have to like it.
Take The Hunger Games for example. (If you haven't read the whole trilogy, I apologize for any spoilers.) You know The Capital and President Snow needs to go down. You want them to be destroyed. Having a revolution and a war are really the only ways to do that.
That doesn't mean it isn't sad.
In his book, Searching for God Knows What, Donald Miller states it best:
I hate war, to be honest. I hate one side against another.
...the our team is better than your team mentality will always fail.
War is awful. I don't know whether it was right or wrong, what we did in Japan, but I know it was awful. I realize it ended the war, and I know it saved lives in the long run, and I know about Hitler, and I know Japan wanted half the world, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't mourn war anyway, that doesn't mean we shouldn't feel a grief at the terrible ways conflicts are negotiated in a world absent God.
I'm all for justice. I'm all for Kony's army and the corruption of the Ugandan government to stop. We need to do what it takes to stop it.
However, I do want us to realize that war, death, and violence is sad. We are allowed to mourn and grieve over it.
I also want us to remember that Jesus died for the Konys, Stalins, Bin Ladens, and Hitlers. As much as we hate to think about that - he did. Because with Jesus, the bad guy wins. I'm not saying that they are in heaven - I honestly have no idea if they are or not. That's between them and God.Yes- fight for justice and the rights of all humans.
But I do want us to remember that Jesus died for Kony too.
When I see things like this, I remember that, by and large, the biggest problems in the world are the result of how small but widespread issues add up to make entire nations unstable and dissatisfied with the status quo. When there is widespread hunger, lack of clean water, lack of education, and lack of opportunities, people become desperate and do desperate things. Violence and crime are the results, and that is why people like Kony are able to take advantage. Reaching out to help individual people and communities become self-sufficient can put an end to the cycle of poverty, which trickles up to effect entire cultures. So if you want to make a difference in places where violence is the norm, you would probably do best to find a trustworthy organization that is doing something to improve the quality of life for the common person in those areas. Water.org, Kiva.org, and HURU International are examples of such organizations.
ReplyDeleteI think there are a lot of routes that you can go to help people. One of the biggest ones you mentioned- helping people become self-sufficient. And it's all about individual lives as well. Yeah you can reach the "masses" but it's not going to make a bit of a difference until each individual has an attitude change and has something happen in their lives.
DeleteThis is an awesome post. I never really thought about war quite like that, but know that you've said it, I absolutely agree. I mean, I'm totally behind Kony 2012, but you're right, its still sad.
ReplyDeleteI think so many times (partially to movies, TV, books, etc.) we glamorize war. People can become heroes and show off their bravado. But the reality is that there are always 2 sides to every story, and no matter how good the cause is, Gods people die. War is a necessary part of life, I understand this. But it's still sad.
DeleteI have mixed feelings about KONY 2012. When I first watched the video I was giddy with anticipation. A sense of belonging! This was my chance to join a real movement! As that first day went on, the stars began to fade from my eyes. And then the haters crawled out of the woodworks. Everyone pointed out the fallacies in the campaign. Then Invisible Children responded to the criticisms and made their financial statements public. Now, I really don't know who to believe.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't see the movement as a bad thing. It may not be perfect, but they are accomplishing more than we could ever do without them. I see no reason not to support them...but I also see no reason to foam at the mouth and sing their praises as well. Rabid, blind fanaticism can be just as dangerous as apathy and ignorance.
~Shane
I feel like we're in the same boat. I was all excited (I think that's pretty obvious) but then some "flaws" started to come out. However, I think they are still doing good and I can stand behind that. Every single organization is going to have flaws - that's the reality of life. I have a friend who talks about "dirt worth wearing." Everything has dirt, grime, and flaws - but which dirt is worth wearing?
Delete"Yes- fight for justice and the rights of all humans.
ReplyDeleteBut I do want us to remember that Jesus died for Kony too."
Amen! Thanks for making me aware of this Kony stuff.
You're welcome! A lot of this was brought to my attention through friends who have much more knowledge about these issues than I do - so I can't take a whole lot of credit!
DeleteThe Kony video moved me to tears. I'm glad people are aware of what is happening, but you're right. Jesus died for Kony too.
ReplyDeleteI was actually wondering what some of your thoughts about the Kony campaign since you've actually been there!
Delete80% of their expenses are program-related (cf. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12429). My problem is that over half of their program expenses are the development of videos and travel expenses for the heads of the company. So technically it is a subjective decision of mine to not support their program, not necessarily that they mismanage funds. I simply would rather give my money to organizations where more of the program expenses directly benefit the people they purport to help. I am glad IC has raised awareness of this issue, but I wish they had told the full story and not overly simplified it to the point of spreading misinformation.
ReplyDeleteThat is one of the things that bothers me. I like to know that my money is going DIRECTLY to the people I want to help - however part of that might also be a pride thing for me. ;) I do understand why the money has to go to so many places, I mean, if you want people to be aware you have to get their attention. As much as we don't want to spend tons of money on technology - we have to sometimes. However, other organizations can have donations go directly to the people you want to help - so why can't IC? I don't know.
Delete