Motivating Justice

I continue to be persuaded, through this and other events, that there are very few people who literally do not want to help end hunger, or who don’t care about those suffering (although there are a few in that camp or whose motives are too mixed for me to understand). I think that what is more often the case, is that people feel overwhlemed by the complexity and enormous size of the problem, hear competing views on how and who should/can help contribute to ending hunger, and through guilt or busyness or not knowing how to start small with the problem, they give up or feel like they are personally not connected to it. Sometimes people choose to take on a watered-down version of a ’cause’ and then push in small ways that are popular or easy to do without any deeper commitment (think every Miss America contestant’s dream to end world hunger or establish world peace). Sometimes people become very ‘anti’ or ‘against’ different issues, retaliating in anger or frustration to complex issues, but seem unable to find something they are for or a way to constructively build toward a better vision or solution. Sometimes people are able to find a way to start helping, through personal one-on-one charity or through advocacy to begin to change the systemic issues involved in world hunger. Sometimes people seem to elect to be in the ‘business of social justice’ - and I am somewhat in this group - where their personal goals and interests become very comingled with the goals of bringing justice or helping others. This can be a very rewarding, and a very dangerous, place to be.

[via livingtheology.net]