First off, I won't take all the credit for this post, as meaningless or nonsensical as it may turn out to be. It springs from a conversation I had a day or so ago with Ron the homeless guy down in Kensington. We (and by we I mean mostly Ron) were talking about the state of apathy that we as north americans often find ourselves in. Ron (who felt everyone was guilty of it - don't worry, I defended you non apathetic activists!) thought that, especially in Calgary, where "times are good" we lack conviction about things that our souls might really value. Why is it that we want to turn a blind eye to the less fortunate? Why is it we don't go out of our way to help people? Why do I not care about the government and where the money I give it goes? Why is it that when Gord Mills, a guy who's passionate about raising awareness about the Darfur/Sudan genocide, writes an article on his blog about what we can do about the situation, he gets no comments, no pats on the back, no "rally the troops" kind of replies? Why do funny "feel good" blog posts get people reading? Why do we show up to our hospital demolitions and school closings with popcorn instead of picket signs?
Ron seems to think it's because we are distracted. Work, TV, Flames fever, Family, friends, what have you - it all leaves no room for conviction. If I get excited about something, the logical end to my passion is action, and I don't want to have to act, because that involves time and energy - both of which I can't spare a drop. Notice how much TVshows have taken off in the last few years. Funny that we actually can't wait for things to distract us now. We line up for it!
Oh dear.
Whats the answer? I dunno, but I think that we need to get excited about stuff more often. If your a Christian and reading this, you probably believe that God's wired you to be passionate about certain things. Pursue that. Don't waste time doing it either. Yeah, it will involve time, energy, and might not always turn you on, but lots of times the road to getting crap accomplished isn't going to. All I know is that if we leave everything up to Jack Bauer, we might end up disappointed.
As an aside, I went biking today and took some pics. Hope you likeee.
2 comments:
hey jon,
thanks for the encouragment, i definately do agree that God did put something on our hearts, and why aren't we persuing what He wants sometimes. Very good reminder and I thank you for that. How are you doing (hockey son)? Hope all is well. I also definately enjoy your pics that you take. Good eye for the camera Jon. They are awesome!
Tanya
Thanks for the blog. I totally agree with the fact that we are so distracted. I wonder if it's Satan's way of getting our minds off of what we should really be thinking about. He's the Master of Distraction. Anyways, keep posting your insights. I enjoy reading them. By the way, if you didn't already know, I'll be a married woman next week. YIPPEE!!
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