I saw a new video on Facebook today from one of my favorite charities. It was hard to watch, and as I watched it, my cursor paused and hovered over the share button. Would this be too much for my friends to see? It’s about global cybersex trafficking affecting children, and the production team said it was one of the hardest stories they’ve told yet. The holidays have started, and we just went through a rough political upheaval in the U.S. I think people are exhausted by difficult things in social media land right now. (dot, dot, dot)
Screw it. Of course I’ll share the video. And I’ll even comment about how hard it was to watch and how #givingtuesday is tomorrow and that people should consider donating to end cybersex trafficking. And here's why: I don’t think that justice-minded people are that much different than other people. They have the same feelings as everyone else. But what I do think is different is their unwavering commitment to take action and pay attention to hard things.
My friends working to heal the world tell me they, too, feel that overwhelming sense of helplessness, hopelessness when confronted with injustice and hardship. But they don’t stay there. WE don’t stay there. We shouldn’t and we can’t stay there. But we do travel through that dark valley of despair, just like everyone else. I believe we should have spirits and hearts strong enough to shift our focus from our work inbox and grocery shopping lists to global justice and poverty issues and back again. We should strive to feel the hurts of others and also tend to our own lives.
For the record, I don’t think it’s particularly fun, being a highly sensitive person. We notice everything, especially the odd, unhealthy, ugly and wrong things. But at this moment, I find myself celebrating my high sensitivity. It does add to my life in this one very important respect: it’s hard for me to feel callused to important issues where people’s lives and well-being are at stake. My sensitivity makes it impossible to ignore hunger, rape, racism, sexism, violence and disaster. And maybe it's even a gift I can share with others, to call them to attend to the needs of others every now and then.
So here’s to a little bitterness amongst the sweet, the pinch of sadness amidst the holidays. Cherish with me the ancient tradition of philanthropy, because “if you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do; if you haven’t got a ha’penny, then God bless you.” Be hardy and believe in the power of even the ha'penny.
#givingtuesday
