That was a quote (more or less) from Hotel Rwanda, which I watched this weekend. It's so true. We here in the U.S. see footage from genocides and such; we say, "Oh, that's terrible, all that killing. And they force the little kids to kill as well. It's so sad. Dear, would you like some more cornbread?"; we move on with our lives.
I also watched Blood Diamond this weekend (both movies are recommended). It's so hard to see what's going on in this world while I sit here, comfortable and warm, receiving a good education.
How am I helping? What can I do? Can I really do anything? As I sat watching Blood Diamond, I realized that I, one person, could not stop all those government officials, rebel troops, and other forces from massacring each other. Though not a terribly profound moment, it was rather... sad? discouraging? unsettling? I don't know. It was a weird feeling.
And look into the genocide going on in Darfur right now as well. The war in Rwanda happened in 1994, so that seems rather removed. Sierra Leone (blood diamonds) is at peace now (though illegal diamonds are still being sold). But 400,000 people have been killed in Darfur, and that killing is still occuring today. Look into things that you can do to protest this genocide in Darfur.
I went on my first political protest march on Friday. It was a march against the genocide in Darfur. Four coffins were made and we held signs as we walked about 3 miles down one of Redding's main streets. We concluded at the local congressman's office and left the coffins there. It was quite exciting. The local news covered it as well as the newspaper. So I've officially been in a protest march. Don't worry, we were quite peaceful; no civil disobedience this time! ;)
So yeah. Buy conflict free diamonds (look into fair trade). Protest the killings in Darfur. Be aware of what is happening in the world around us.
Pray.
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5 comments:
I agree that stuff is wrong but do you know where the term Social Justice originates? You should look into it and decide if that is something you want to align yourself with. Don't become to big a liberal while you are at college.
what do you get out of wiping out whole villages? thats my only imput.
Yeah I feel the same way, although I've never had the opportunity to march for anything. But even donating to savedarfur.org or putting a sticker on your car helps raise awareness. It sucks not being able to save the world.
I'm glad that you care, esp. enough to get involved in stuff. If everyone thought that they couldn't make a difference because they're just one person then a lot of good stuff wouldn't happen. At the very least you can help make people more aware of horrible situations before they go back to eating their dinner.
It's cool that you're actively thinking about the world around you. As much as political protests get the emotions pumping I think your last suggestion will do more in the long run.
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