Have you been watching the news?
The Olympic torch relay is being hijacked by a number of protesters with one mission in mind. They wish to bring to a global stage the human rights violations of China in a country wanting to be free from the atheistic communist rule.
Look what was going on in San Francisco today...
So, for me, it begs the question, Why are so many people passionate about the people of a tiny little country in southern Asia? What exactly is going on down there that raises this kind of awareness?
I mean think about it. The Olympics are supposed to be a place where countries can come together in lieu of all their political issues. It's a time when athletes who train their whole lives can compete in front of the eyes of the world in a peaceful way.
So why would someone want to risk all that?
I think I understand why....
Oppression is dirty business. Since 1959 Tibet has been subjected to an oppressor in China that has jeopardized it's national security, ruined thousands of years of it's historical religious tradition, and some reports claim China is using Tibet as a staging area for more of a presence near India.
The Tibetans want freedom to rule and live in their own country. In fact the Dali Lama details it like this...
"No matter what country or continent we come from we are all basically the same human beings. We have the common human needs and concerns. We all seek happiness and try to avoid suffering regardless of our race, religion, sex or political status. Human beings, indeed all sentient beings, have the right to pursue happiness and live in peace and in freedom. As free human beings we can use our unique intelligence to try to understand ourselves and our world. But if we are prevented from using our creative potential, we are deprived of one of the basic characteristics of a human being. It is very often the most gifted, dedicated and creative members of our society who become victims of human rights abuses. Thus the political, social, cultural and economic developments of a society are obstructed by the violations of human rights. Therefore, the protection of these rights and freedoms are of immense importance both for the individuals affected and for the development of the society as a whole."
-The United Nations World Conference June 15, 1993 Vienna Austria-
In other words, people are all basically the same all over the world. We all want freedom and the ability to live our lives in search of happiness free from oppressive dictatorships. So the protesters who know what they're doing aren't marching for some random cause. They have a purpose with an Underdog (Tibet) being oppressed by a giant (China).
It's an honorable reason to stand up in the face of insurmountable political pressures against a country like China. Some are raising flags. Others are laying in the road. Some are trying to extinguish the flame in protest. While others still are running naked in the streets to have some other agenda on the nightly news.
All good and well in a social structure where we are free to express ideas...
But where are those with the same passion to stand up for the oppressed here in the U.S.?
Where are those who stand up for the people oppressed by an old style world system filled with selfishness, greed, and hedonistic tendencies, even as we watch rampant consumerism eat away at our society like a cancer?
Where are those who would be protesters for the rights of the poor, the orphan, and the needy in our back yard? They certainly don't make the 5:00 News spot.
And maybe there's even a bigger picture.
Where are those who are the would be crusaders willing to face the oppressive nature of sin in our culture today? Not by adding more to the list of right and wrong, but simply aiding and protesting those parts of our culture that are damaging the fibers of our society.
A few weeks ago, I met a former meth addict. His name is John, and when I met him he couldn't stop talking about the friendship of a local neighbor who literally fought for this man's existence as he drove him to the detox counseling center not too far from my home. He waited for 12 weeks as John was working on the physicality of what it might be like to be free from his oppressor.
Then after the program was over, my buddy drove this man to a house where he learned job skills, responsibility in finances, how to fill out a resume', and gave him a fresh new start in life.
I'm sure if you asked John what he thought about life only a year ago, the tune would resonate the same as the Tibetan longing for their freedom from China. Yet, I'm not seeing those who are waving the flags of freedom for men like John.
I know several churches who are stepping into the arena, but I believe in my heart, the vast number of those sitting in the church pews of America who could reach out to people oppressed by the system of the world still hasn't been tapped.
The Church still remains a sleeping Giant sitting on the sidelines awaiting a miraculous intervention with a Second Coming. And, all the while there are causalities of war falling on the waysides of the road of life.
I'm glad there are those who are interested in the human rights violations on a global stage. For sure if you've read much here you know I'm engaged at many levels.
It's definitely newsworthy, but how much more news could we make as we shared a caring heart with our neighbor, lent a hand to a brother, or simply knelt down to someone who doesn't deserve our gracious warrior spirit; and truly let God's spirit transform the old system of the world into a new system encouraged by the core of Hope.
There are those doing it. And my heart is filled with that hope every time I see them. Will you be a part of the protest today?