Chivalry

If you haven't figured out by the name of the blog, I love the ideals of chivalry. One of the primary tenants of the oath of chivaly was justice. Included in justice is the idea of helping the oppressed. This idea has been lost in America. In America, we have this idea of you get what you deserve. We oppress the oppressed.

This is true in politics. Republicans want to ignore the poor and help the wealthy get wealth (even if the idea is that the rich can create businesses, they exploit small business owners in favor of their mega-corporate sponsors). Democrats wish to profit off the poor, by getting them to vote for them, then giving them a pitance of welfare and elemenating all opporunities for them to get ahead. Look at the schools in the inner city, in the same areas that supply democratic voters. I was in one tonight, packing lunches so that these poor ghetto kids can actually eat on weekends. In the mean time, the rich school down the streets got grants for millions in an unnecessary remodel.

This is also true internationally. Americans spent 450 Billion dollars (Billion with a B) on Christmas every year. For 10 million dollars (Million with an M) every human being could have access to clean, sanitary drinking water. This would cut childhood fatalities in HALF.

The average woman or child in a third world country spend 5 hours A DAY getting water. And the water that they get is usually from stagnant bogs and pond, and is so disease ridden it is deadly. They are forced to make the choice of dying from lack of water or from drinking what water they have. How would you like to make that choice for you and your children? How would you like to choose from what you watch them die?

And because this is 5 hours a day, and they are very ill from what water they do have access to, they are unable to participate in what little educational opporunities are available to them. Bono said, "We can be the generation that no longer accepts that an accident of latitude determines whether a child lives or dies." Yet, despite the ability to do so, WE DO NOTHING.

Where is the justice? This is one night who won't stand for it. I have done what I can for now. I will try to continue to do more. I do not want to stand by while not doing what I can to provide justice for the poor. We have the ability to do so much. There is more to do than I can possibly do alone, but as long as there is no justice for the oppressed, I will do what I can.

Recommended resources: World Vision and Richard Stearns The Hole in Our Gospel.