Friday, March 31, 2006

move

here’s an adaptation of a statement that wyclef jean made in a recent interview. “justice is not accomplished through charity. it’s accomplished through movement. the world doesn’t need our charity. it needs our movement. it needs us to physically do something.”

and here are a few excerpts from the spring 0’two issue of colors magazine.

“ninety percent of all domestic workers worldwide are aged between twelve and seventeen.”

“fifty-two percent of u.s. fifteen-year-olds say it is difficult or very difficult to talk with their fathers.”

“the average age of a homeless person in the u.s. is nine years old.”

“six thousand girls aged between four and twelve undergo genital mutilation every day.”

“one million kids carry handguns to school each year in the u.s.a.”

“more than three hundred thousand children are involved in armed conflict in forty-one countries worldwide.”

“thirty-three percent of primary school-aged children in jakarta, indonesia, believe life is not worth living.”

“eighty percent of hiv-positive children under the age of fifteen live in africa.”

“at least eight-hundred seventy-five million adults are illiterate, two-thirds of them women.”

the world needs our movement. so, don’t just sit there. there is a need. and now that you know, you must choose your course of action. someone else will not take your place. they will take their own place while your’s remains vacant. it’s time to respond. it’s time to move.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What is your response to people who say "My efforts are only a drop in the bucket. They will be insignificant in the big picture."?

What is your response to those who repeat the Scriptural mantra "The poor will always be with you."?

Or how about those who say "I'm not called to movement except for the movement of my hand as it signs another check for charity."
Is that valid movement in your book?

Not that I necessarily believe any of what I just penned...I'm just curious about what your response would be to questions like this. Just a liitle iron sharpening iron...bring out the whetstone!

peripheral in africa said...

great questions ttm.

to your first question, i would answer "better to fill the bucket with a drop than to leave it empty altogether. and perhaps your one drop would be the start of a downpour."

to your second question, i would answer "yes. you are right. the poor will always be with us. the objective is not to eliminate poverty. rather it's to eliminate the divide. to bring us together. to reach out. to help. to build relationships. to be changed. to learn. and to find life in all of it."

and to your third question, i would answer "not everyone is called to move in the same way. however, the movement of one's hand across a checkbook should not be an excuse to avoid a higher calling."

additional thoughts?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your response.

No more thoughts.

You have quite the whetstone! ;)