Outrage

Outrage! Injustice! Unnecessary suffering! Madness! Senseless dying! Inhuman! Ungodly!

Never had such strong words entered my mind as often as they did during my recent two weeks in Africa. Then I came home, turned on the television, and found so-called news organizations obsessed with the story of a disgraced congressman whose hypocrisy finally caught up with him on a spring morning. People were “outraged,” They were crying out for “justice.” They screamed for punishment as their teeth tasted the blood of the fallen man.

I am mad at some of the reasons why we get mad in this county. I am outraged that in the 21st century, when America can collect samples of the atmosphere from a drone thousands of miles up in the air over North Korea, people are still dying in Africa -- 6,000 per day -- from diseases that are totally treatable in the West.

Think of this: two twin towers, six Katrinas, in the last 24 hours. The equivalent of an entire village wiped out while we vacationed, slept, ate, went to work, and watched our favorite team play on television. I am tired of the tunnel vision of American television. I am sickened by the collective numbness of some T.V. news executives, who charge a high price to have this kind of “news” delivered to our homes 24-7. And I am embarrassed that we keep on buying this kind of product.

I just spent two weeks in the Central African Republic and my life will never be the same for it. When you witness the kind of suffering I did, all historical discussions about whose fault it is become meaningless. As a pastor, I am no longer interested in theological arguments about whether helping the poor is an integral part of the gospel or not. Our involvement is no longer optional. As long as there is a need, I will seek to make a difference, there is no question about that.

Now I know that there is a crisis of gigantic proportions happening in Africa today. People are dying from AIDS, malaria, diarrhea, parasites, and tuberculosis. They die from diseases that cost twenty cents to cure but they cannot afford to buy them. Twelve million children are orphans from AIDS. Many more will die if they continue to have no access to the medicines that can cure them. We would not for a moment tolerate this kind of suffering in the West or even in Japan. Why are we not outraged? Is it just because Africa is far away? Is it because we don’t know? Is it because the media insists on feeding us selective news, including high doses of political drama every night?

Please, don’t get me wrong. We should be outraged at a man who broke the public trust and preyed on our children. As moral people we should be crying out for justice. I am not questioning the wisdom of reporting such story. I question the insane repetition of the same story night after night while thousands of little ones are dying every day, often hungry, in a cold hut, without anyone to offer a prayer for them. I fear that more often than not we have been robbed of information that really matters and thus we go to bed thinking that everything is OK with the world.

NO! Everything is NOT OK with the world. And we must learn what that means, and how we can make a difference. Turn off that television and read information about the Darfur, if that’s what it takes . Buy only fair-trade coffee. It’s going to cost a couple of dollars more, but it is worth it. Sponsor an orphan from the CAR. Shop for one of those “product red” products. That will help combat AIDS in Africa. Go on a mission trip to bring relief for those who are suffering.

Channel your outrage toward something useful. In other words: stay outraged, but be on the move with a heart of compassion. And start acting today while we still have a chance to make a difference.

Pastor Ivanildo Trindade