Bono and The Constant Gardener

Ok so it seems I might be one of the few who really enjoyed the movie, "The Constant Gardener." Or perhaps I'm one of the few who actually saw it. Many of my Christian friends will see it and be so offended by the nudity that they won't be moved. I was moved. I know it's just a movie but I imagine the culture of Africa is very much like what this movie protrayed and I was moved. I was moved to want to help. I was angered by the thought that our government is perhaps not following through on their promises made at the G-8 Summit because we are putting too much money into killing lives rather than saving them.

Just today I was continuing to read through "God's Politics" by Jim Wallis when I came across this quote by Bono...

"So you've been doing God's work, but what's God working on now? What's God working on this year? Two and a half million African's are going to die of AIDS. What's God working on now? I meet the people who tell me it's going to take an act of God to stop this plague. Well, I don't believe that. I think that God is waiting for us to act. In fact, I think that God is on his knees to us, to the Church. God is on his knees to us, waiting for us to turn around this supertank of indiffernce, our own indifference a lot of the time. That God Almighty is on his knees to us - I don't know what that means. Waiting for us to recognize that distance can no longer decide who is our neighbor. We can't choose our neighbors anymore. We can't choose the benefits of globalization without some of the responsibilities, and we should remind ourselves that "love thy neighbor" is not advice: it is a command."

If you're interested in giving to help meet needs in Africa, go to www.samaritanspurse.org.

Expanding our World View

I'm still wading my way through "God's Politics" by Jim Wallis, which I continue to say is an incredible book, easy to read and easy to understand. Currently I'm on a chapter about the struggle between Israelis and Palestinians and the need for peace. I hope to provide an abridged version of the struggle later for those of you who, like me, didn't know much existed outside of the United States for twenty some odd years.

I'm not really big on being taught but I love to learn. I tend to be more self-taught. Unfortunately, in order to teach yourself, you first have to be aware that you need to learn. Until the last few years I was never very curious about the things happening in the world around me.

COLLEGE STUDENTS....Don't miss out on the opportunity you have to educate yourself. Don't think that just because you are in college you are learning. You have highly intelligent people at your disposal. Soak up all you can from them and don't live your life unaware.

I think Christians can be especially guilty of this because often times if something doesn't have to do with a person's salvation, we don't catch the importance of it. The fact is, we can't imagine the life that people in places like Israel and Palestine have to live. We are very sheltered and very privileged. They live in constant fear of terrorism. Parents fear for the life of their children as they send them off to school or out to play.

We could all afford to expand our world view and open our eyes to the struggles of those living in world's outside of our own. So turn on the news (even the Daily Show can open your eyes to new things) or pick up a newspaper or browse the web.

Yes, there is life outside our little super power and it's time to start learning and start caring.