March 9, 2012
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Proactive 2012 Kony-ness
I didn’t watch the “KONY 2012″ video that came up on my facebook page. I get bored waiting for youtube to upload. I watched KONY 2012 because I started seeing people say bad stuff about it. Sad day when you wait for the negative to figure out the positive.
I need to be pro-active.
Carina told me about Invisible Children. Years ago, when they were just starting out. She told me she was going to Africa someday. She made me sit down and watch the movie. I try to stay away from those kind of things, just like I don’t watch horror movies. Or the news on TV. I see enough bad things in the world without adding all of the available media. There is already so much injustice out there in my little world, that I get scared to open up to anything more. I feel like they will break this camel’s back.
So I added Invisible Children to my list of prayers and causes that I think are worthwhile. What stood out to me was their ability to share the responsibility. Working in ministry, the number one thing you want isn’t money–it is people who want the same thing you want just as much as you do. Because then they are not doing something, or giving money to something because you asked for it–they are doing it because they want to. In fact, they come up with ideas you never could have. They deposit money before you ask or tell them what it is for. Because it isn’t for you, it isn’t about you–it is working together towards a common goal: they have taken personal responsibility for the ministry. They believe in it.
The secret of Invisible Children is that they pinpointed specific needs and put faces to them: “Help Jacob, stop Kony.” And they worked hard to give the opportunity (specificially to American teens) to take personal responsibility for those needs. They made them see how they could make a lasting difference, partaking in the work and the reward. Do you have any idea HOW DIFFICULT that is? If I can figure out how to do this, I am changing my goal from 10 Living Stones in 10 years to 50 in 5 years. Or more.
It is much easier to just go and do things yourself than to try to help others catch your passion. But the rewards are worth it. KONY 2012 is a beautifully made 30 minute video that hits all of the right buttons. SCORE for being relevant, and getting the point across in simple, yet powerful ways (and what a cute kid!). You can tell they hit something, because it is everywhere, and now people are finding controversies. Welcome to success.
But that was the point. Get the information out there in this information-clogged age. And like Paul said about people preaching because they were sincere or because they were making fun of it–at least it is being said. No, KONY 2012 will not solve all the problems. I don’t really see much difference since Osama Bin Laden died. But it does make a difference–in how we think, how we go about things…
Invisible Children, with their previous work and KONY 2012, has/is made/making a difference in so many lives–in Uganda, and in the USA, as teens discover their voice, their power, their passion. My friend Carina? She skyped me from Africa today. She is there. Yes, I understand the concerns of overlooking the current goverment in Uganda’s role in child soldiers, as well as giving them blanketed support: things are never black and white (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-deibert/joseph-kony-2012-children_b_1327417.html).
“By blindly supporting Uganda’s current government and its military adventures beyond its borders, as Invisible Children suggests that people do, Invisible Children is in fact guaranteeing that there will be more violence, not less, in Central Africa. I have seen the well-meaning foreigners do plenty of damage before, so that is why people understanding the context and the history of the region is important before they blunder blindly forward to “help” a people they don’t understand.”
I don’t believe blind support is Invisible Children’s desire. Anytime you give to something that you are not currently at (in location and in heart), you will be, for the most part, “blundering blindly forward.” Giving to missions in general is a great step of faith–because no matter how many reports they give you–you still have to trust, and there is so much you don’t know and don’t understand. And yes, mistakes will happen even with the best intentions: think about trying to help your own family and how that gets tangled. But that doesn’t mean you stop–which is the only other option given in these criticisms.
Don’t tell me what is wrong until you give me an option to make it right.
The other criticism of Invisible Children is that they are spending too much on the USA side of things (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-57393346-501465/invisible-childrens-kony-2012-viral-video-stirs-emotion-and-controversy/). Invisible Children made statements and showed records that this is not true. But to be honest, even if it were–I would say it was worth the investment. Because right now, American teenages need to be invested in. They need to give given something to live for, because the current culture is sucking them dry.
The article said, “Critics don’t appear to doubt the altruism of Invisible Children’s mission, they are more concerned with what happens after people watch the video. “One consequence, whether it’s [Invisible Children] or Save Darfur, is a lot of dangerously ill-prepared young people embarking on missions to save the children of this or that war zone,” said Chris Blattman, professor of political science and economics at Yale University. “At best it’s hubris and egocentric. More often, though, it leads to bad programs, misallocated resources, or ill-conceived military adventures.”"
TRUE. To get people passionate about anything is dangerous–but it is the only way to live. It is scary to get people involved: you can’t control them. But the people in Uganda need help. And so do the people in the USA. When those people who MUST give are connected with those people who MUST receive, something beautiful happens. And I watched that something beautiful when I waited for youtube to upload KONY 2012.
Pray for our brothers and sisters in Uganda. Let us stand with them in solidarity.
Democracy=the loudest bird in the nest gets fed the most. Get squaking.
BRAZIL: Portugese subtitles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE_DgntYbpw
Brasileiros, vamos fazer uma coisa sobre isso!!!! Alguem tem ideas? Quem quer faz uma coisa 20 de Abril comigo???
http://www.voanews.com/portuguese/news/03_07_2012_uganda_lra_twitter-141766453.html
