I have often found myself banging my head against the wall in frustration with the profligate waste of youthful energy exhibited by groups like Rock the Vote, Green Peace, and other groups that take on grave global issues which, if not obviously immoral are at least examples of injustice or a shriveling of human potential or assault on human dignity. It is fairly easy these days to generate a great deal of righteous indignation over tragic instances of injustice around the world.
The last few generations of students have been bombarded with images of starving Ethiopian children, violently battered Middle Eastern women, and prematurely “experienced” child prostitutes. Christian mission agencies, non-governmental organizations and lobbies, international charities, and multitudinous U.N. committees have worked hard to expose Western youth to harsh realities in far corners of the world, and have become experts at whipping up a frenzy of outrage mingled with pity before quickly passing the basket for donations or soliciting life investments from young people to join the army of aid-workers around the world.
While some might decry the use of images and instances of suffering to fundraise as grossly disrespectful, such tactics have resulted in raising awareness of global tragedies and prompting legions of people to begin thinking about and addressing these issues. The tactics might be insensitive but the greater error is in the misuse of the youthful energy drawn into these causes. More often than not, charitable groups (and Christian groups are sometimes as guilty of this mistake) are really good and arousing pity but really bad at providing solutions. There is often a tacit assumption that any action arising out of compassion or concern is good, simply because it comes from a good intention. However, it’s not only the road to hell that is paved with those sorts of intentions. The road to national destruction and oppression is laid with a similar sort of brick.
Login to read more
Sign in or create a free account to access Subscriber-only content.
Topics: