Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
It's been several days since I've written. The surrealism of Africa has hit me. It's hard for me to believe that I really went, that I saw those countless faces, and that I stood on a cliff above a safari. My mind is filled with all these realizations, and there's such an uncertainty in me to know if I can be a helping hand. I've been straying from writing; whether it is writer's block or shock I don't know. The chains of poverty run thick, and to know to point the finger at myself and humanity is haunting. We put people in poverty, and we make slaves of people in the sickest of ways. We run machines through the naive, we strap ourselves to technology, and we obey what we hear from the media. How can I live my life like a normal person when I can't help but look at my wrist and wonder what did someone do to make this bracelet?
In our country, I think we are becoming more and more of a dystopia. One of the biggest industries in the world is porn. Sure, it's hard to know where porn begins and where it stops and where art can take form. And yes pornography has been one of the longest and most successful industries since the beginning of time. As well, to have the government ban all forms of nudity is just as imposing as the current situation.
As I grow older, I see the importance of balance. I can't justify porn; I really can't. After reading Les Miserables and seeing how Fantine sold herself for her child after she had sold all her furniture and no one would hire her, it really hit me that we put people into these situations, we rob them of their modesty, their soul even, and we rob them of everything. The problem is if we only associate nudity with sexuality then all things can be interpreted sexually, but that's not the case. But with the advent of porn growing faster than both the film and video game industry combined more and more people are becoming victims of a double sword disease. First, the victim is the one who is innocent, whether it be a youth or a grown woman who is either forced to show his or her self for any abnormal circumstance. I'm starting to sound like a poorly written law, but the problem is that with expression it is literally impossible to set perimeters, so to describe abnormal circumstance is a tricky one. I would describe it as if a person could only make money by prostitution or by selling pictures of their self. As well, if someone is physically made to do something out of their control-- that is clearly wrong. The second danger, is the one that becomes addicted to porn and gradually has to increase the perverted behavior in the content to continue stimulating their self-- which easily can lead to child molestation and other such horrors.
So how do we stop this? We become aware. If we are aware of dangers and if we ignore those that are trying to get our attention in this way that can help breach the situation a little-- at least one person could be saved.
I'm not saying nudity is an entirely wrong thing and I want people to understand that. Nudity and sex is a big part of our lives. We are born naked, and how in the world would that be wrong? Maybe this will help explain how I feel: a certain note can be played on the piano along with various other notes to make an awe inspiring chord, but when that same note is played with all the wrong notes there's nothing that can make it sound right until you change to a new chord. We will constantly be hitting terrible chords in our life, but in music the change from a horrible chord to a harmonious one is glorious. If we play the key with other keys and it sounds terrible we should change because it's bothering our ears, but the problem is so many people are stuck in unharmonic chords in their lives and they just keep banging it while it becomes more and more painful. And sometimes we stay on the same chord because we find it comfortable and it becomes a very lukewarm unlived life.
One of my friends put it brilliantly: we can help the poor, but who's helping the rich? If we can move the rich man's heart we can provide for more shoes on children's feet, more vaccinations, a roof over another's head, clean air, and a plate of food for everyone. Is a war on poverty just as insane as a war on terrorism?
I hear this story all the time but it's worth mentioning:
"Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean. He came closer still and called out 'Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?' The young man paused, looked up, and replied 'Throwing starfish into the ocean.' 'I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?' asked the somewhat startled wise man. To this, the young man replied, 'The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die.' Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!" At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the
water, he said, 'It made a difference for that one.'" (Eiseley)
We can save, and that's the mission of love: to be sacrificing ourselves to serve one another. So many are baffled by love, if not all of us. But here's a few keys that I have come across: love means to sacrifice, love is a constant choice, we don't always naturally love one another, love will change you, and love is not an easy route.
Did you know that when Jesus died on the cross he was naked? Actually, that's widely debated. But it was customary to strip those that were crucified for further humiliation. And wouldn't the Romans have wanted to do just that since Christ was considered so much of a criminal? Regardless, I think the cross is powerful enough and speaks to the heart about life, about going against the greatest challenges and still be living and that has stayed eternal in the hearts of Christians. As well, the promise of Christ and that he rose, conquered the grave, and broke the curtain are all resounding in the Christian's heart. Christians were sawed in half, tied to the backs of horses and dragged to death, chained, stoned, and other such sports killings. All because they knew Christianity would radically change society; they knew it was true and what could speak of more volumes than these precious individuals who would die for Christ and love? On earth we will constantly be fighting that which chokes our freedom until the glorious end.
Keep up the good fight.
PS. In my English class yesterday there was a girl who commented that Christianity is all about love and charity. Of course Christianity is about love, but what is love? I think Christianity is much more about sacrifice. I think we are supposed to be living our lives on the edge; I think we are supposed to step outside our comfort zone as much as possible. As well, Jesus said to the rich man that he must give up everything to follow him. Helping others is highly important, but we are supposed to be sold to that and we should be confessing from our mouths daily about the glory of Christ and that the route is not easy. The hardest part about being home now is I don't feel like I'm a Christian. When having my life completely immersed in the message of the Bible compared to daily living-- where I'm not constantly thinking about God-- I can't help but have internal struggles. I know that my life was better in Kenya and that I was much more faithful and that I was much more an essence of healing. I honestly do believe to be a Christian we must lay down our lives. We must give up everything to gain more in Christ-- which I know is one of the greatest paradoxes of all time. When we surrender our life to God he will use every part of us.
And what's more, the greatest reason why people could care less about what the contemporary Christian says is that the Christian comes off immature: weak, naive, uncaring, and riddled with illogical cliches.
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