Voices

So, I was thinking...

And it's never a good thing when I do either. It can end up making me angry at injustice or end up with me in tears. Often both..

Today I was thinking about voices. About how just the other day one man wanted people to hear what he had to say so much so that he created a bomb to go off in a city centre, then travelled and shot another 60 or so teenagers to their death. All just because he thought that people should listen to his opinion on immigration and politics. In his quest to make his voice heard he physically silenced 76 people. As the prime minister of Norway said, talking to the youth of Norway;

“ This attack on Utøya was also an attack on the dreams that young people had of contributing to a better world. Their dreams were brutally shattered.  

Your dreams can be a reality... You can make a difference. Do it! My challenge is simple: Get involved! Care!! ”

It is an atrocity that he was selfish enough to commit these crimes. However, this selfishness is not something that is isolated only to madmen with guns. To some extent we are all silencing others, and being silenced at the same time.


Yet another, even greater silencing is happening as all this has happened. We are busy worrying about a singer who has died or about a madman in Norway, yet in Africa millions of would-be scientists, doctors, politicians or lawyers are dying just because they don't have enough food to keep their bodies going... their voices are being silenced too. Drowned out because we don't want to hear it, because there are greater things on our minds. Governments are hesitating because they are in debt, and because they have no money to spare at the moment.

It made me angry that they cared about a bit more debt than peoples lives.


Then, as I reached to take out chocolate to cheer myself up that I bought yesterday, I thought, "Surely I don't need this chocolate."


My mind, at this point, exploded into thought:
"Surely I don't really need the chocolate, I don't really need the clothes I bought last week. Hang on!! People all over Britain will be saying the same thing when they hear about the African droughts 'It's such a shame! I wish the governments would do a little more. I'd help, but I'm struggling with money myself at the moment!!' "


...    "It made me angry that they cared about a bit more debt than peoples lives."

I'm in debt too at the moment. I'm living out of my bank overdraft, and will be counting on my first paycheck from my new job in a restaurant to get me out of the overdraft. But hang on.. I'm doing the exact same thing I'm angry at the governments for doing. I care about a little bit of money more than I care about peoples lives. All that sadness and anger I feel at peoples voices being silenced now feels very hypocritical if I'm not doing something to help too.

Therefore.. I decided today that I don't care about money or putting myself in a little more debt if it means I can feed people that will otherwise die, so I'm going to give all that I earn on my next pay date (about a month and a half's wages) to the funds that give food to Africa. It might not be much money, but it will keep a couple more voices alive and shouting, and it will mean a few more dreams realised.

“ You can make a difference. Do it!                  

                          My challenge is simple:get involved.”

Challenge Accepted.