"They'll say, 'That's terrible' and then go back to eating dinner"

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.