Wednesday, June 24, 2009

remember this

Last weeks memory passage (Col 3:1-4):

Since, then, You have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

This weeks (Col:5-11):

Put to death therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, Circumcised, Barbarian, Barbarian, Scythian, Slave or Free, but Christ is all and is in all.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Ignorance v. Arrogance

Lately, my mind has been consumed by thoughts debating the relationship between intentional ignorance and arrogance.

The common thought that has been troubling and muffling my brain has been specifically geared towards the idea of the United States ability to shrug off the reality of our socio-economic failures but at the exact same time assemble large focus groups and fundraising campaigns exploiting facts relating to the World's community outside of North America.

Here is an example of my frustration;
In the United States 39% of all children under the age of 18 will be homeless. That is saying that nearly half of the populations children at least for one night in their adolescence will not have a place to live. In India, however, the percent of homeless children is 18%.
Both of these numbers are outrageous and devastating. Both of these numbers are unsettling and depressing.
Now, ask yourself, which one of these facts you feel that you are more aware of?

This is where this war of thought usually floods my brain. In America, at anytime I can Redbox or TiVo a documentary on the devastation of displacement and homelessness and abuse of children from other countries. Access to view the struggles and pain of the world has become almost instantaneous, there are multiple commercials with crying Hollywood stars begging for money to end poverty and secure betterment of life abroad.
I guess my question is, "where are the commercials and documentaries to raise support for the struggling brothers and sister of my own nationality?" Is getting to America the end of the dream? Once you have made it to America you are on your own, the responsibility of those pocket books and humanitarians no longer pertains to you?

The world is our doorstep. We, the developed, wealthy West, have a responsibility to take care of all people. We have a responsibility to organize prosperity and relief using all means possible. My hope is that while we are watching our documentaries about distant lands we never lose sight of what is going on in our own country only blocks away.

We live in the greatest country in the world. Before we can get the rest of the world to believe that we must first convince all of our citizens to believe that... if they have a house or not.

Are we intentionally ignorant or are we just plain arrogant?