Find Your Outrage
The recent homocide of Freddie Gray while in Baltimore police custody is yet another declaration of the distress we face as a society. And if you haven't been moved by this callousness and haven't been compelled to march against the tide of this sort of injustice, there are plenty of other reasons to revolt. Our world is crashing around us--deteriorating before our very eyes. Climate change, rising oceans, drought, floods, melting ice caps, leaking pipelines, toxic waste, polluted waters, leaking radioactive plants, strip mining, deforestation, species extinction, injustice, police brutality, aggressive capitalism, devalued humanism, corrupt politics, corporate monopolies, a collapsing middle class, decaying bridges and roads, loss of privacy, increasing poverty, bigger prisons, mounting racism, poisoned foods, poisoned soils, poisoned fish, a "warrior" state mentality, religious bigotry, religious wars, unsubstaniated wars, unwarranted wars, unjust wars--and that's just in the good old USA.
Where is our outrage? Some shrug and implore their faith with simple cliches like, "that's why God sent Jesus." Others stoke the fire of cynacism with sloganisms and one-liners on their Facebook pages. Some stay oblivious, glued to their cell phone distractions, text messaging and games. And others watch celebrities cloaked as news reporters filling our heads with fluff. Folks, this isn't going to float our boat. There's human responsibility involved here. Slogans and one-liners and biblical quips on FB aren't solving the real and practical needs of this trembling earth.
The world needs our outrage--undisguised, undisputed, unconditional outrage. Why are we not all marching in all cities against the unjust killing of poor, unarmed, Black men? Why are we not marching against the development of "smart bullets" and high-tech weapons and fighting instead for better health care, school lunch programs and better jobs? Why aren't we marching against the corporate takeover of Washington? Why are we putting up with laws made by lobbyists against the common good?
Get your outrage on, America! We are falling behind the rest of the world in science, math, and engineering. Other countries now have lower infant mortality rates, lower poverty rates, lower incarceration rates, better elder care, equal pay for women, better public transportation, health care, manufacturing--hell, they even have better space programs!
People are, literally, dying to get our attention. Be upset. Be angry. Get involved. Write letters. March against injustice. Post thoughtful ideas. Analyze with an unbiased eye. Otherwise, if we continue to be distracted, to look the other way, give in to weakness and declare helplessness, we will destroy our world, and we kill ourselves. Let's find that part in the heart of us that wants to make a difference, and March On!
