I think that it's really easy to get desensitized from a lot of things. Even if I tried to make sense of it, it would still come across rather stifled and confusing. My attempts at putting it into words may fall short...
Some of us truly think that there isn't anything severely wrong with the world that we live in. Outside of our neat little boxes, our thought processes aren't adventurous enough to ask those questions, or take a serious look at some of those things. Either we really don't think its that serious, or we'd rather not immerse ourselves in the just-plain-suckyness of the situation at large.
I am beyond guilty for all of this.
Today, I awoke to the sound of my $250-$300 iPod Touch and my $200 Samsung-Android Powered phone, both the latest in their respective technologies. I rolled out of my plush full sized mattress, past my $600 laptop, with thousands of dollars worth of software, updates, files, photos and music. I shivered, because I was standing directly under the vent, where my air conditioning blew cold air on me. I stumbled into my shower, where I adjusted the water to a comfortable warmth, but not before letting a couple quarts flow freely as I used the bathroom (toilet), flushed, brushed my teeth, then showered, all in a brightly lit bathroom.
In the first thirty minutes of my consciousness today, I've already interacted with hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
And not five minutes after did I complain to myself about how I need to make more money. Or how I don't have enough money.
I didn't even talk about the two Playstation consoles that I own. Or the games that accompany them. Or my camera. Or the car that I drive. Or the three-bedroom apartment that I live in. Or the HDTV sitting in my living room. Or the hundreds of CD's that I own.
I won't even venture outside of U.S. borders with this one. Turn on your television at 3am, and you'll have enough conviction there to almost make you cry. No, I'm going to stay inside of our borders.
We have people in our own backyards (almost literally) struggling. People in our church, our schools, our jobs, our families, struggling. They can't eat. They have to decide on whether they use the last $5 in the pocket to for their gas tank, or eating a meal.
There are hearts aching all around us. Some of us are in our comfort zones, tightly so. We have a symphony of peers and friends around us, willing to listen and lend a helping hand. Others struggle with some real stuff (recognize the euphemism). Depression and suicide. Low self-esteem and serious father/mother/parenting issues. Am I good enough mother? Father? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Brother? Friend?
Think about it. Go ahead, I'll wait.
Seriously. Before you continue reading, thinking about it.
How can we really think that love exists in sight of all this un/intentional apathy?
Does love exists? With all our gadgets and friend requests and fantasy leagues and new mixtapes and hot celebrity gossip, does that equate love and beauty? Am I heretic for living in it, but hating it?
I strongly believe that there is a beauty that exists in this life, but that doesn't mean that I don't know it's hard to get to.
In 6 days, the end result was that "it is good".
And about 2,000 years ago, it got started, because "it (was) finished".
Billions of people on this earth; why should anyone live it alone? Smiles and laughter and hugs and music and harmony; why should anyone be exempt from this?
What would it take to show that someone cares? What would it take to show that love is real? What would it take to make an impact, leave an impression, touch someone's heart?
More than the mission of various non-profit organizations or charities. Where can this...love come from?
Or...Who?
3 comments:
this is both convicting and encouraging. (which explains why I just leaned over and kissed you on the cheek) How quickly we can get trapped by the "stuff" that serve as our fences to keep us separated from one another. I'd say a little financial hardship has always kept my life in perspective...which is why I feel sad for the rich, and not the poor of the world.
God never said the rich inherit anything, after all.
superb writing, thoughtful and thought-provoking. i honestly don't see anything that can or should be added except that, for many, myself included (at times), the anticipation for more in this societal rat race leaves many with a certain numbness that hardly allows the overall compassion that it perhaps requires to heal the world, make it a better place, as Mike once sang. the world is filled with pain and good question at where and from who does that true love arrive?
Could you resend Linked emails to donchristop@gmail.com
Yahoo emails won't load for some strange reason.
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