My husband and I were snowed in the other day and weren't able to travel to our regular church service. We decided to attend a church just a few blocks away from us that happened to be a very large, wealthy, Methodist Christian church. The service was about "peace" -- the choir sang songs about peace, the minister got up and talked about peace and they had prayers about peace. They had a huge choir, grand piano, one of the largest pipe organs I had ever seen and a bell choir. The service was very sumptuous. The pastor got up and said a prayer for peace in which he asked for peace for our "troops" and for all the places they were "serving."

And the whole time I was struggling with myself to stay seated, stay quiet and keep control of myself. Because in my heart all I could think of was all the poor children I have watched die in my work in the Third World. I kept thinking of the poor and the exploited. I kept seeing images of Palestinian children, Iraqi children, Haitian Children, and all the downtrodden people's of the world that our tax dollars... well, I can't get into the details but I think you know what I'm saying.

When my husband and I got to the car I cried harder than I have cried in many years. The hypocrisy of that experience tore my heart out. How can people talk about peace, sing about peace, pray for peace, when we are the main ones that are preventing it? My husband and I sat in the car and cried for a long time and not one person from that church stopped to ask if we were okay as they pulled away one by one.

Why doesn't anybody care? Why? What is WRONG with us???

Darling have u watched "A bug's Life?"
There's this scene where one coconut fell on the malicious grasshopper but it didndt hurt. However a few seconds later when hundreds of coconuts fell, the grasshopper was squished to nothing.

The same thoery applies here, It may seem as though no one cares but we must keep going and hold the faith to care for a better world. To share and to love and only then when we dont give up that we'll get stronger and stronger.

Trust me, if we dont give up we will get better and soon Third world countries will live the good life they deserve.

When you feel like giving up, ask yourself "how much", thats a very powerful question dear. How much do you want this? How much are u willing to sacrifice? We ourselves wil have to help educate others because if we dont then who will??
We have to always remind ourselves that the satisfaction that we'll feel if we make it will be very rewarding and it'll be worth it.

Oh, I won't give up. I can't because my whole life is built on my work in social justice. But sometimes the hypocrisy I see around me is so staggering... Still, giving up is not an option for me. There is no way I could live the kind of life so many people around me live. I would die in no time. My husband and I are working with the poor as much as possible and when we are not, we're here in the US raising funds. That's our life. That's our awareness. We hold dying children in our arms and then come back to this place we call the US and try to communicate with people whose biggest concern in life is whether or not Paris Hilton has to stay in jail or not, or whether or not they can afford to buy their kids another X box game.

Sometimes it just gets kind of rough.

And that's just a little example of the non-political part of my story.

It just blows me away how people can live in such ignorance and deliberately blind selfishness. It's mind boggling to me that people aren't just outraged when they find out where their tax dollars are going (I won't mention country names here so my post doesn't get political and not approved).

Sometimes I just look at the world and wonder how we can keep walking around filling our little shopping bags and smiling at each other as if NOTHING IS HAPPENING.

Some days I want to stand in the middle of the street and scream HEY THERE'S A HOLOCAUST GOING ON!!! STOP STOP! HELP HELP! WAKE UP WAKE UP!!!

Blessings and peace be with you caroline and welcome to the forum

Caroline I fully agree with everything you say and we should search for justice and peace for the poor of all faiths and nationalities. There is a great need for interfaith cooperation, as the problem is far too great.

You are very courageous to work in these poor countries and I admire your faith.

In the spirit of praying for justice for the poor

Eric

I love the heart you have for those in need, Caroline!

Perhaps you should worry less about those who don't have the same heart and compassion as you, but ask God for guidance.
I agree that many people are complacent, but if you are not (and you certainly don't seem to be), then go out there and do God's work (which seem to be doing already)!
I pray that God will use you in a BIG way!

Raising people's awareness is a long and slow process, and can be very frustrating!
I feel like that often with regards to environmental issues and consumerism ... people are so stuck in their own little worlds, they just don't want to hear you!

Peace

When I see poor children in Africa who die from hunger and in Iraq and other places, I change the channel or turn it off.

I all the time try to stop thinking in all what u mentioned so that I dont get mad. But I think I can sum up all this in that some individual MAD & EVIL people ruling this world!

BIG SIGH

But I think we NEED to be "mad" as you call it. We need to be outraged! Yes, evil people are running the world, especially my very own country! But we can't just leave it there! We have to speak out and work for justice. Our complacency is what allows it to continue. How are we going to face God knowing that all these atrocities were being committed against our brothers and sisters, especially our MUSLIM brothers and sisters -- and that we did nothing?

I don't understand it. I don't understand how we can just keep on going through the daily motions when so many people are being humiliated, beaten, raped, tortured, murdered EVERY day. I think it makes me half crazy sometimes.

But God has given my husband and I this work in Haiti, so we do that and we continue to speak out against tyranny. I have also started searching my area for activists groups and demonstrations we can participate in.