Thanks for stopping by again! In case you missed last week, we are on the 2nd entry dealing with a controversial article in the Washington Times.
Before we continue on, there are a couple of thoughts that come to mind. The first is that we are NOT here to bash UNICEF, to try and make them look bad or to try and make sure you never give to them again. In the Kingdom of God, we do not make advances by taking shots at or slandering others or other organizations. Although this article is definitely about UNICEF and paints them in a certain light, we are not trying to “expose” them or direct your anger towards them. I think it’s clear that UNICEF has done some pretty good things over the years in regards to children’s rights around the world and if you click over to our “Stats” page, many of our stats have sources from UNICEF.
That being said, it is our hope that you would wrestle with the bigger concepts coming to light here. We want you to think about how we (as people) approach world problems. This article indicates a macro approach and we’re asking the question, why not a macro as well as a micro approach? There are real lives today that are caught in the middle and that breaks our hearts. If you disagree, please comment, we want to start the discussion around these issues and make progress.
We will continue on with quotes from the article followed by thoughts.
“The stumbling block is that unlike UNICEF adoptive parents do not believe that even a single child should be subjected to life as an orphan, serving in effect as collateral damage, as geopolitical solutions to world poverty are played out. To us, it is patently unfair for children to be held hostage, condemned to life without a family, as the world works towards peace and justice.”
This point was the one that resonated the loudest with me in this article. I have been frustrated many times in life as I hear people talk about lofty ideas to end suffering and poverty with no action. I attended a university where first-world privileged students and professors would sit around state-of-the-art classrooms, drinking lattes and discuss lofty ideas about what needed to change in the world and how big systems and government policies needed to change, without any actual action. I couldn’t help but think, sure these things need to change, but while we’re working on it, could we not take some practical action? It seemed as though people thought that practical action would “impede the process that needed to take place.”
It seems like we could spend the rest of our lives talking about when these oppressive systems will end and when the world will be free of oppressions and suffering and never take any real action to help actual individuals with names, lives and destinies. As long as corruption exists in the heart of mankind, as long as greed is present in this world, these issues are not going to go away. We believe in tackling major issues from the top down and we believe in fighting for justice on the major scale, but we believe even more in fighting for individuals with individual stories, along the way. We believe in helping those that need it today, in this hour. Martin Luther King Jr. fought big systems and won major victories for the world, however, he was one that fought for individuals along the way. He didn’t just set his eyes on lofty goals, he helped individuals along the way and that is what we should be committed to. By helping individuals along the way, he helped many on a grand scale.
Like we asked at the beginning, can this be a macro as well as a micro issue? I think it can. I think we can work towards improving things on a grand scale, while helping individuals on a micro scale. I think we can lobby government, make our voice heard and look for ways to microfinance and improve communities with sustainable options, while still improving the lives of individuals along the way. Why can’t we adopt children out of these systems, while we’re working on improving them?
Next week we’ll post the final thoughts on the last of the quotes for this article. In the meantime, think about your own views and perceptions on these issues and think about your responses in discussion as well as action. Your life and voice will make a difference…it is needed!
No comments:
Post a Comment