We’re not as desensitized as you’d think. I was talking with my roommate the other night, and as we spoke of various world issues and the atrocities man is capable of and our general lack of reaction to them, she mentioned that common idiom of the day – ‘We’re so desensitized.’ And it suddenly brought together a series of thoughts that I’d been thinking over the previous weeks as I prepared to leave for Haiti – I think we actually aren’t. At least, not as we believe.
Yes, in the age of youtube journalism and action movies we’ve definitely been exposed to a historically unprecedented amount of horrific media. Images and acts of violence or disaster and general human suffering are available all the time and only coming faster and in greater quantity. While I agree that we are less shocked by such material as a direct result of our exposure, I’ve realised that our lack of response is the symptom of something else – complete and utter spiritual irresponsibility.
If the problem were simply desensitization, we would watch video after video from, say, Haiti, and not be affected or moved to emotion by it at all. We would simply associate it with the same emotional set as when we watch John McClane throw the guy off the building. While this is the case for an odd few with emotional development and reality issues, in my experience what usually happens is the remote control effect – we change the channel when something threatens to call us to respond. It is entirely our choice to not go deeper. How many of these kinds of videos do we choose to watch, seeking a deeper connection to the people in these situations? When we see one, do we then go seeking more information? Do we seek a way to respond? Do we even stop to pray? Do we take any of the responsibility for our fellow brothers in Christ or even, at the very least, our fellow man, and choose to react? I often don’t. I feel sorrow, but for this that or the other reason I make the choice to not go deeper. We have lots of arguments as to why we don’t get behind this particular issue, most commonly that there are too many things wrong in the world and we can’t fix them all (not stopping to listen to how we SHOULD respond, we assume if we can’t fix it we’re to leave it alone). The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few – not because God hasn’t called enough workers, but because too many aren’t answering. We need to step out from behind the excuses of desensitization and take responsibility for our choices about what the Spirit draws us towards.
I wrote that while killing time in an airport Tuesday afternoon. Being here, I’m reminded that not being able to change the channel doesn’t change any of what I just said either. On the ground we’re forced to be impacted, we’re forced to look, but the choice is still ours as to what we do with it. I guarantee you that you can come down here, see all this, rejoice and cry with the people here, and still go home unchanged. You can choose to do nothing, and rather easily. I say this only to illustrate that those at home and those on the field face the same level of responsibility for the world, and can make the same choices – we’re no different, any of us. How we’re called to respond is vastly different, as different as what we’re called to respond to. How you choose to respond though – that’s up to you.
I’m putting a challenge out to all of you, and I’d love some feedback in the comments section here. First, comments on whether I’m on the ball or not about this. Second, and this is the all important one, I want you to ask yourself these 2 questions:
1. Are you listening for what God has for you (and I promise he’s saying something)? Even if it’s small, just for today, or right now – Are. You. LISTENING.
2. How are you choosing to respond?
Feel free to share in the comments section. Also, please pray for the 6 or 7 people that came down sick today – some of them are leaving for home tomorrow, but 3 of them are staff and they are already sorely missed.
