The Joker, Resignations, World Hunger, and September 11th

The Joker: "Nobody panics when the expected people get killed. Nobody panics when things go according to plan, even if the plans are horrifying. If I tell the press that tomorrow a gangbanger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will get blown up, nobody panics. But when I say one little old mayor will die, everyone loses their minds!"

A few months ago, a friend of mine resigned from his post as youth pastor, the reasons made sense. I find it odd that me and most everyone I know who has found out flipped when they first heard it. It didn't fit with the plan, the unconscious plan we all had, that this wouldn't be the case. We don't like it when things don't follow the plan. And everyone knows the plan, the way things should be and ought to be. These people die, these people don't. Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds. A fact easily found, did any of you even flinch as you read that? No, not at all. Because it's part of the plan. On Sept. 11th 2,974 died, and the nation was thrown into disarray. More than 5 times that number (2,974) die every day, EVERY DAY. But no one flinches because that fits into the plan. I think People need to care about this. Someone estimated that, to provide the entire world clean water and food,to solve this crisis, it would cost roughly 20 Billion dollars. America, spends that much on Ice cream, in a year. Where are our priorities?

I did not mean to trivialize the tragedy that was Sept. 11th, 2001. That day was burned into my mind forever, and I have no connections to it. I cannot fathom what it must be like for those that do. I simply used the statistics to point out a flaw in our mindset. America is not the world, we are a small part of a global community, but we don't act like it.

We Are the Peacemakers, We Are the Forces Of Change.

I am no longer interested in a faith that lines up behind intangible causes and lifestyle changes. I no longer will abide people who donate to charities but walk past the beggar as if he does not exist. I will no longer be silent as my peers cry out against the mistreatment of animals but do nothing to change the world hunger crisis. The Bowery Mission in NYC follows one simple philosophy when it serves food, first the house then the streets, in this way we must apply ourselves. With the crises affecting our world we must act in a tangible way.

Much more impactful than writing a check so some other people can do the work, is going out and doing the work yourself. Now I can list statistics and facts about all of the atrocities committed on a daily basis, but you have all heard them before. But if you do nothing, then you might as well pull the trigger yourself, if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Yes, the humans dying every day from pointless wars starvation and greed are very much victims of the horrible people who literally do commit these crimes against humanity, but they are, in my opinion also victims of the rich minority's apathy.

One might say they do not have the ability to travel to the more horrible parts of the world to do anything, and that's OK, but you are in no way off the hook. There are people literally in your town who need your help. DO something about it, anything, be the solution. If this doing something to you involves handing over some money that you probably wont miss anyway, then you have missed the point entirely. When do good deeds have the most impact? When they require actual sacrifice. Would the redemption of the world mean anything to anybody if Jesus didn't have die to for it?

This is not to say giving of your money is wrong in and of itself, but in my opinion, it is meaningless, if it is not also accompanied by some sort of action. In the same way short term mission trips are meaningless unless you take it as a cue to live as a servant 24/7 365. I do not care how great of an experience if you do not let it change you in some way.

DO NOT pray to G-d for change you are not willing to do yourself, sometimes YOU are the answer to your prayers.

DO something. Something impactful, Something meaningful, do it today, do it every day.