DISTRUST = NORMAL

Like most of the known world of social media, my wife and I recently watched the movie about Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA in Central Africa. 

The movement, started by the people behind the Invisible Children film, is purposed to make Kony famous, not by celebrating him, but by raising awareness of his heinous crimes to an international platform. So many of my FB friends, many of whom are very jaded towards this kind of stuff, have been spreading the video. It has gone completely viral.


Along with it, there have been plenty of comments, links, and blogs which have pointed out a variety of purported fallacies and shady dealings of the KONY 2012 non-profit. A lot of these have bordered on vicious. Obviously, the people who have posted these comments have gone to lengths to "research" and vet out this non-profit. Some of their points may be valid, but it serves to shed light on another angle for me. 


Why is it that in this day and age it seems that people's natural reaction to anything charitable or anything which tugs on emotions with a gripping story is viewed with distrust? I think that we should be wise, and informed, with our charitable decisions. But the comments and blogs that I read were simply meant to attack and discredit this non-profit. A non-profit that is WORKING TO END THE BRUTAL MASSACRE OF INNOCENT CHILDREN. If any of these people had put the same effort into joining this movement, and spreading the word further, imagine how much further along this would be. 


Let's go a step further than that. Imagine if this same natural distrust had existed back during WWII. What would it say about the US as a nation if the response to Hitler's brutal campaign against Jews, and his total domination of most of Europe, had been a natural distrust of the movement to declare war on Germany? Would we react the same way on Facebook during WWII when we saw comments which called into question any article which shed light on Hitler's holocaust? What would we do if we saw calloused responses on Facebook to horrific pictures of the genocide that took place there? Would we stand idly by? Would we say that those people are entitled to their opinions? 


I don't propose that we go around and post-jump on everything that detracts from KONY2012. But I do think it is very discouraging that we live in a time where distrust is indeed the norm. What a difference it would make if people's natural reaction was outrage, followed by action! 
When we see injustice, we need to do everything in our power to snuff it out. Not because of religion, belief system, color, race, or political affiliation, but for the ones suffering from that injustice. 


Instead of digging around for any little dirt clod to fling at the backs of the soldiers on the frontlines, pick up your sword and fight. If distrust is the norm, then we need to go against the norm. That, after all, is what we are called to do.