where do we start?
Overwhelmed. No, I'm not talking about my familial situation. I'm talking about the situation with our world. It's a mess, people.
Confession: I'm a pessimist by nature. A naysayer. An "it's all going to hell in a henbasket" kind of guy. I have to fight hard to have the middle of the road mindset or what I call a hopeful realist kind of attitude. A hopeful realist stands between the optimist and the pessimist. A hopeful realist looks at the situation critically, recognizes both the difficulties and possibilities surrounding the situation and then hopes for the best possible outcome. I've long since given up trying to be an optimist. Don't get me wrong, we need optimists in the world for without them, we wouldn't get very far but we also need hopeful realists.
So when I think of these global concerns, I get overwhelmed and I find myself working extra hard to have that hopeful realist kind of attitude. As I lead a group of concerned Christians, I wonder what our best course of action should be. Locally, what should we do? Nationally, where should we start? Internationally, what do we focus on?
One last confession: I would much rather ignore these global situations because, at the moment, I don't bear the weight of them. I can't really tell that our earth is getting warmer. While I live only two blocks away from public housing (the projects) and pass by homeless folk every day, I keep a safe distance. The Middle East is, well, in the Middle East. And all the crises in Africa are in Africa. The distance, perceived or real, is enough for me to plead ignorance.
Lord, forgive me my trespasses.
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Every reputable scientist on the face of the planet agrees that we are destroying our environment.So how do we proceed from here? Where do we start? To whom or to what do we give our attention and time and effort? Is it possible that we could make a difference concerning these huge, global matters?
The divide between rich and poor has never been greater.
The Middle East is in shambles.
Africa not only has an AIDS epidemic but civil wars and genocide continue to ravage parts of the country.
Babies in poor countries die for ridiculous reasons.
Materialism is rampant.
I could go on, and on, and on...
Confession: I'm a pessimist by nature. A naysayer. An "it's all going to hell in a henbasket" kind of guy. I have to fight hard to have the middle of the road mindset or what I call a hopeful realist kind of attitude. A hopeful realist stands between the optimist and the pessimist. A hopeful realist looks at the situation critically, recognizes both the difficulties and possibilities surrounding the situation and then hopes for the best possible outcome. I've long since given up trying to be an optimist. Don't get me wrong, we need optimists in the world for without them, we wouldn't get very far but we also need hopeful realists.
So when I think of these global concerns, I get overwhelmed and I find myself working extra hard to have that hopeful realist kind of attitude. As I lead a group of concerned Christians, I wonder what our best course of action should be. Locally, what should we do? Nationally, where should we start? Internationally, what do we focus on?
One last confession: I would much rather ignore these global situations because, at the moment, I don't bear the weight of them. I can't really tell that our earth is getting warmer. While I live only two blocks away from public housing (the projects) and pass by homeless folk every day, I keep a safe distance. The Middle East is, well, in the Middle East. And all the crises in Africa are in Africa. The distance, perceived or real, is enough for me to plead ignorance.
Lord, forgive me my trespasses.
-
posted by jch at
8:40 PM
5 Comments:
I read "The World Is Flat" and it doesn't do much to improve the fact that we are destroying our world but it gives you better understanding why so many people are disenchanted.
Remember this in Shanghai alone there are 5000 new cars sold each month. And there are over 250 cities in China over a million people who are joining the modern world. Oil will be obsolete in years which could end up being a good thing.
my boyfriend and i volunteered tonight for one.org. we got to go to the dave mathews band show for free :) but it's also a cause i can feel good about. i think, whether people are optimists or pessimists, being an activist is the most effective. and i think that rather than being overwhelmed people should do what they feel strongly about. if everyone worked on something that they were passionate about, then i think it would all get taken care of. but people get overwhelmed and don't do anything.
Who says you have trespassed by not fixing the world, Joe?
God doesn't expect you to fix the entire world all by yourself. He only expects you to do the next thing with/for the next person He brings your way. That's all.
I believe one of Satan's greatest weapons is that of feeling overwhelmed. And you are located in one of the most overwhelmingest (yep, I made that up) places.
Consider the lilies of the field... maybe cut a few and put them in a vase for Laura, while you're considering them...
Vicki,
Not saying that I must fix the world. Not saying that I'm the Messiah. Don't misread. I'm saying that the sin lies in ignoring these issues as if they have nothing to do with me. I can be arrogant but I'm well aware that I'm not God. I'm not trying to fix everything but I am called - we all are - to get off my ass and so something.
It is so hard and I feel so helpless. I have been thinking about your post and noticed it again today, which is fitting at the anniversary of Katrina. I remember this time last year feeling just so overwhelmed by the devastation. I gave money to the Red Cross but could not think of anything more to do.
In March I went to New Orleans on a case and saw some lawyers there that I consider friends. They wanted to show me their houses, how torn up everything still was. They told me about the people they knew who had committed suicide. They told me that it was important that we go there and see it for ourselves, and tell others.
I stayed in a nice hotel that had been (mostly) cleaned up, I had two wonderful meals, I commiserated with them and I have given them more work since then. I even bought a "Make Levees, not War" T-shirt in the Quarter. But it's not enough.
Our world is at a crisis point, and so many people do not seem to recognize this. The new figures on the poverty rate should be very alarming to anyone with a conscience.
The sea is so big, and my boat is so small. But there are some things I can do, and I will do these things:
I will not shop at Wal-Mart. I will not buy a gas guzzler (I am driving a Toyota Echo with 120,000 miles on it). When I need to hire someone to help me with a given task, I will pay a fair wage for the job. I try not to waste water or electricity. I recycle.
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