Inhumanity

Posted on January 30, 2008
Filed Under current affairs | 8 Comments

I’ve had this post on my mind for a few days. Social justice is something very close to my heart. This is a difficult post to write, as I’m not sure how to articulate what I am feeling inside. I look at world affairs these days and see such division, such differences between east and west, vast differences in quality of life. One side living in luxury, whilst the other side lives in despair.

Inhumane things are happening in the world. This week alone I have been distressed reading about the growing situation in Kenya, which Cindy, Sonja and Bill have blogged about, amongst others. Guys, we are witnessing another country “ethnically cleansing”. If let to get out of control the effects will be devastating. I was pleased to see that Kofi Annan has got involved and I really, really pray for progress there and an end to violence. Yet I fear that Kenya may become another Rwanda, another Sierra Leone.

Another ongoing situation is Palestine. Apologies if I offend anyone, but I think it is appalling that Israel can get away with closing all borders with Gaza, knowing that the Palestinian people will have no access to food, drink and other basic living needs. Now Egypt has seen the Palestinians break through and cross their border with Gaza, so that they can stock up on urgently needed supplies. Graciously Egypt has allowed this to continue, but now they are trying to close the border up again, as so may people were coming through etc. The Palestinian people have been oppressed by the Israeli’s for a long time now. I know some of it is a two way thing, in terms of attacks etc, but why should everyone pay because of extremists? We have friends who work with Palestinians and every time Palestinians manage to get a farm up and running, grow their own veg etc, the Israeli’s come by and set fire to it. I don’t care what religion people are from, no body deserves this. God told us to love our neighbour.

I really worry about what judgement God will give us in the west for allowing this type of thing to go on in the world. It seems to me that people are more interested in finding out whether a particular celebrity attending a child custody hearing, or what she was up to the night before, than they are about what is happening in places like Darfur, Zimbabwe, Burma – and all of the other forgotten places in the world.

In the west animals are treated better than human beings are in other parts of the world.

I’m ranting, I’m sorry. I’m so frustrated because, as I have written before, I simply don’t know what to do about these situations. I feel so helpless. I’m praying for a breakthrough. I’m praying that God will restore peace and bring justice. I guess we can all lobby our MP’s, Congressmen etc, continue to support aid agencies. Any other thoughts?