A friend recently posted:
"Between the racist complaints about black South Africans enjoying a day at the beach and people I know signing petitions to the UN for "European South Africans" to get their "own independent state" (in Africa mind you, not Europe), THAT is why I left South Africa. Because I do not know how to deal with the continued lack of basic human empathy which too many whites seem incapable of mustering up, their self-centredness and rank fear of figuring out how to survive when their privilege is removed by force (since there does not seem to be another way of eroding privilege!!) My own shame because I am so acutely aware of my own privilege that as a child of an actual European, I am still enjoying the benefits of my European privilege. And not knowing how to deal with the rank fear of Europeans in the face of the refugee crisis on our own doorstep. Too much privilege in this status indeed."
My response (shared here and not on FB):
This IS deeply personal. You are European and you are white. How will you respond to the deluge of refugees? To the crisis of colour in YOUR nation and continent? As a Norwegian, you have tremendous privilege.
I am South African and living in SA. I am white. My crisis of colour and people in need is a flood too (and having travelled north recently I have seen that it spans all provinces). I am reminded that I need to take the logs out of my own eyes before passing comment on anyone else's splinters.
We were asked if we wanted to leave. I love my friend's response: Why would I want to leave a nation where there is so much opportunity to make a difference in both big and small ways?
This year I am not going to shout or whine or feel guilty about my (white) privilege, my home that has running water and electricity. Instead I am going to serve, love, give, do justly, walk humbly. I don't have a national or international voice. But I can fall on my knees and pray.
Small ripples. Big pond. But hey, let's start a "privilege" revolution. And if we listen to His whisper, our small ripples can change the pond.
I refuse to let shame hold me back from embracing 2016 and the people of my nation. The ones who have nothing and the ones who have everything.
I have no idea how my life might make a difference. But His already has, and I am following Him.
In some respects privilege is like eye colour - it is what it is. When we love and serve a God who cares for the weak, then it means we have a responsibility to. What we do with it, is between Him and us ultimately. But our actions, especially collectively does affect the spirit realm and creates a spiritual atmosphere and heritage. And so we face the consequences one way or another. That is the collective which I think we have lost an understanding of in the West.
ReplyDeleteI so agree. And so we are called to not to love just with rhetoric and words, but with actions and deeds. Best we all start praying then! If we are close to Him, we cannot but help feel His heartbeat or respond as He does. In all our online western busy-ness, we neglect the solitude of prayer and the amazing opportunity we have to know the God who knows us.
ReplyDelete