It is so easy to see the world and the
happenings of the world in a purely negative light without any redemptive
factors. The crazy despotic
country that is North Korea has nuclear weapons, war looms (as always) in the
Middle East, mistreatment of women and children around the globe and talking
heads always blaming “the other party” for everything that is wrong in their
respective country. However the media
doesn’t cover the silent majority
and too few people realize that the powerful minority doesn’t represent the hopes
and dreams of the majority. The
majority of Koreans want a peaceful reunification someday, the majority of
Palestinians and Israelis want a peace of compromise, grass roots women’s
groups and orphanages are popping up all over the desperate parts of the world
that need them and there are (believe it or not) many government officials who
are silently trying to actually get good work done for their people. But the voice is given to the loud and
terribly arrogant extremes. It
takes work, but if we look deep enough into the issues of the day we may just
find that same hope that the silent majority has.
* * * *
I’m not
sure if I’m just getting old and crumudgeny or if there is real rapid change
happening in the world, but I sense that the beginning of real substantial
earth-shaking change. A sort of
change that has been experienced before in history like in the years 1919, 1945
and 1989. I think that one of the
years of the recent past will go down in history as these previous years
have. I sense a real move toward
more inclusion around the globe of more peoples in the market and political decision-making
process. But as we’ve seen time
and time again in history, those with power are unwilling to relinquish it
without a fight. We see that fight
today in Syria, but we have seen multiple other Arab dictators toppled. We see Chinese and Indian citizens
gaining a middle class that has included billions of more people in the
globalized market and in the last decade some of the “darkest” and most
hopeless places in the world have had a light shined upon them.
People
now know of the horrible cruelty in the diamond mines of Sierra Leone and
forced change. People now know of
the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda and their use of child soldiers and how 3
teenage boys with hope and determination can change the future. People now are able to see the courage
of protestors all across the Middle East to determine their own futures. And on and on… This can be the real power of an interconnected
and global world, the fact that truth can be revealed so much easier. A film like “Blood Diamond” can change
the entire market place for good.
Three young boys who have a desire to better the world can shine light
on the previous darkness that too many children had to endure and start a
global organization for good known as, “Invisible Children.” And brutal dictators can no longer get
away with harsh treatment and shutting down their media by courageous young
people posting the brutal treatment to YouTube or joining international media
via satellite.
There is more work by every human to be done
for sure, but the amazing thing about change is that it happens so slow, but so
sure, that many people don’t even know that it has happened until it has. There are innumerable instances of courageous
people taking a stand for hope and succeeding. If you make an effort to look, you will find that there is a
great hope under the surface of cynicism, complaining and negativity that
pervades our public discussion today.
