We always seem to say, "It's a small world."
But the things that are happening within our own country and abroad can seem so far away, because it may not be happening to us here at home. I know many people who just don't want to know. They have great hearts, but stories of tragedies just cause them too much pain.
The definition of Apathy is a state of indifference — where an individual has an absence of interest or concern to certain aspects of emotional, social, or physical life.
The words, apathy and indifference are powerful. Question: Is it just as bad to be indifferent about child slavery than to be the one to sell the child? If we know about it, and do nothing, what does that make us?
It can be overwhelming.
I am overwhelmed all the time about such subjects as child slavery, genocide, and the state of our our own foster care system. I can't ignore it, because I know it's happening. Then the ongoing questions start popping in my head: What can I do? Who am I to do anything about what is happening today in Darfur? How can I help the woman escaping North Korea? How can I help wounded soldiers and their families here at home? It can go on all day.
Then I take a breath.
Because I know the first step out of indifference and apathy is knowledge. So everyday, I read the news. I start with CNN, then to BBC and lastly, to Reuters. Because the saying, "Knowledge is Power" is the first step of exiting our own "cul-de-sac" mentality. Our small world becomes large. Then once you make that connection to the Mother who lost her family to war in the Congo, or to the child that was sold into slavery by their parents, the world can become small once again.
It comes full circle.
So today's challenge is simply to read. Read about our world and what is happening to our global brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, and most importantly to our children. Take that first step. Make the connection and believe that it is a small world after all.
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