Frustrating, isn’t it? How there are so many wrongs in the world that we have no power to make right ... The truth is we folks struggle our whole lives to overcome the darkness within our own souls, in the only place where we have some leverage. The farther out we go in concentric circles from ourselves, the less control we have to make an impact. Nevertheless, in the sphere we inhabit, there are small or incremental choices we can make to turn the ship, at least of our own hearts, and maybe that of a few others.
The country of China is full of people just like us. Men, women, and children who work, play, love their families and share the existential hopes and fears experienced by all human beings. It is also an enormous and powerful country ruled by a small number of shrewd, authoritarian despots. The history of China’s human rights abuses aside, right now in the “People’s Republic”, there are approximately 1.5 million Uyghur people (a Muslim religious minority) who are the target of what the United States has officially declared a genocide.
Here is a sampling of what’s happening to the Uyghur people:
- Detainment in internment and “re-education” camps (replete with the horrors of malnutrition, lack of sanitation and medical care, rape of female prisoners, beatings, forced labor)
- Random arrest and torture
- Forced abortion and sterilization of Uyghur women
- Uyghur children removed to Chinese orphanages
- Uyghur women “married” to Chinese soldiers
- Medical experimentation on Uyghur people
- Gang rape
- Ongoing surveillance
- Disappearance of Uyghurs from their homes
These are only some of the reported atrocities occurring against this ethnic minority simply because of their religious beliefs.
Haven’t you often thought “What can I do to help (fill in the blank) in (some far away part of the world)?" In this social media/news saturated culture, there are so many tragedies before our eyes. Far too many for us to absorb and certainly almost all out of our reach to upend in a meaningful way. One caveat: I’m the last one to say that fervent prayer isn’t powerful – it is. Who knows but that it was the prayers of the faithful that were the ultimate cause of the take down of past atrocities and injustices? Prayer to the One and Only is a weapon like no other. Sometimes it’s all we have. But if faith without works is dead, in the smallness of our own reach, what CAN we do? Rather than be overwhelmed, is there anything our hands and feet can accomplish? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Last night, what I assume was the beautiful and moving spectacle of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was televised around the world from Beijing China. And today the figure skaters will begin swirling, the skiers flying, the bobsledders zipping through the ice and snow in strength and glory. The backdrop to all this wonder is a country where human rights are being violated in the most profound and disturbing ways imaginable. It’s like putting a crown on a pig. It’s baffling how the Olympic Committee and the free world agreed to allow Communist China to host games that are supposed to represent what is good and beautiful.
I realize there are terrible things happening all over the world. I don’t even know what they all are, much less do I have any power to do anything about them. But I do have this one power: I can change the channel on my TV. I can say with one small click of the remote that I will not support NBC, nor the companies paying for commercial time, nor indeed the whole fandango of unrighteousness that is driving this phony operation. This small thing is within my power. And it costs me little. I pray to be willing to do the right thing when it costs me much more.
You can’t fix everything wrong in the world. One day Jesus Christ, the only Great Hero, will do that. But you can do something. Pray for the Uyghur people. Insist that our government hold China accountable by reaching out to your senators and congresspeople. And turn the dial for the next few weeks. Better yet, turn the TV off altogether and give thanks to God that you were born free – and use your freedom to bless your family, your friends, your coworkers - someone right within your sphere. In the place where you CAN do some real good.
Your friend on the pilgrim road,
Loriann Smith
