I saw a movie that traumatized me.
“Taken” is about two teen girls who get kidnapped in Europe and are sold as sex slaves. The movie shows images of girls tied to beds and kept sedated under heavy doses of drugs.
Men are lined up outside to have their turn at them. It was sick to watch. But it made me wonder how injustice can be overlooked so blatantly.
Sometimes, I think people don’t help end injustice because they are getting something out of it. In the movie, it was the men waiting in line outside the building or the people running the business.
Other times people don’t help because it can put them in danger. Most of the time, people don’t do anything because it isn’t convenient.
Why donate money when you can spend it on yourself? Why go on a mission trip when you can cruise Europe? It’s hard to make sacrifices that don’t offer earthly rewards. Yet I have been so amazed at Buckner International, a global Christian ministry that provides care and resources for orphans and at-risk children in the United States and more than 50 countries.
Recently, I was talking to a man who provides marketing services to various non-profits. He has seen a lot of corruption in the companies he serves and is very skeptical.
Luckily, he trusted my judgment and asked how I felt about Buckner’s ethical practices. I was able to spill my heart.
“My co-workers at Buckner are not perfect and sometimes we can be mean or snappy or do things that are not perfectly Christian,” I said. “But we love our jobs and we work there because we want to help the children.”
My point is this: I am a public relations practitioner. When I show off my company, I don’t have to lie. I have gotten so used to writing stories about Buckner volunteers and donors who make sacrifices to love others, that I forget about the evil that exists — the injustices committed around the world.
If you are looking for a way to help, Buckner is a good avenue. But right now, I am not trying to sell you Buckner. I am trying to sell the idea of working toward social justice, service and love.
Go out there and do the right thing. Do something for the beggar on the sidewalk. Do something at your next church project. Don’t turn your back on the hurts and injustices of the world. Justice cannot exist without individuals like you.
Analiz G. Schremmer is a staff writer at Buckner Foundation in Dallas. This column appeared on the Albert Reyes’ Pan Dulce blog in a special series on social justice.
