There is a stark separation between the world poor and the population on the other side of the spectrum. And maybe ‘sides’ is not the best way to describe the situation?
This guy Volf points out that we are some how caught up with the other. We are all caught up in the same plight and when we don’t see this we miss an integral part of being human. Those on one side feel, not only the exploitation, but maybe even the abandonment of the other… this is a kind of connection. The dominant population may feel violated by the other, whether justified of not. We are connected as humans in ways we often wish were not true. We are connected by love and hatred-the whole gamut of the lived experience is shared ultimately.
But what is fearfully true to me these days are all the ways I avoid the messiness of honest identification with the other. I avoid looking some in the eyes because I fear their pain and misfortune might envelop my neat, simple and fun life. Learning a language, as a gesture to know a culture, is overwhelming. Knowing and trusting a friend is organic and fluid, but knowing and trusting potential friends is a place without categories for the common.
Thinking now of the homeless, there is a sense in which I attempt to be rescuer, deliverer but maybe the first step toward love is the common ground. Recently, I watched this deliverer mindset end in an exploitation of sorts. Maybe a bit of God’s delivering justice bled through but why are justice and love so separate in my mind? I think they need to find commonality, like neighbors who care about their block. I’ll be honest; I’m a bit frustrated today-and maybe writing about these things isn’t solving any problems only opening a few conversations I need to have. My roommate was helpful last night as he echoed the words of Jon Foreman saying, “It is really something when you realize your never going to change the world.” I am bucking this idea today, it assaults me violently-mocking me. And I don’t know what to say back quite yet.
