First, we live in a very messy world. A world largely ruled
by unbelievers. A world with many evil people. A world that will not experience
full healing until the return of Jesus. Kony is but one man in a long list of
cruel men in Africa who have ruled or created havoc across the continent
(think of people like Idi Amin, Muammar Gaddafi, Robert Mugabe, Félicien Kabuga).[1]
In fact, Kony may not even be the worst figure in recent African history![2]
In saying this, I am not denying the horrors that have occurred at the hands of
Kony and his people. Abducting 66,000
children since 1986, and committing who-knows-what horrors certainly qualifies him
as heinous and worthy of justice (although I must admit, I’m a little uneasy
about what “justice” at the hands of a Ugandan and/or Congolese army looks like).
However, we must not think the battle is done should Kony be eliminated. He is
only one of many problems we must face.
Second, the makers of the Kony 2012 video make two statements
(well more than two, but only two that I’ll mention) about Kony worth noting: “Nobody
knows him”, and he’s “not important enough” to garner U.S. attention. The first
statement is generally true (I’ll come back to the second later) – few people
knew about Kony. But that is likely true of the vast majority of “international
villains”. Of the four names I listed above, you probably knew the
first two, fewer of you knew the third, and I suspect very few knew the fourth!
(By the way, Kabuga is “accused of bankrolling the Rwandan genocide, inciting
bloodshed through his radio station and even supplying the machetes and hoes
used in the massacres… of more than 800,000 Rwandan men, women and children in
100 days.”[3])
I decided to look up a “World’s Most Wanted List”, a list once headed by Osama
bin Laden. Not surprisingly, the internet provided several such lists; the most
recent that I read listed Kony as number seven, Kabuga as number six[4].
I knew only one of the remaining eight names, and that is only because of his
association with bin Laden. So, saying that most people did not know about Kony
is true, but that should not surprise anyone, nor should it necessarily serve
as an indictment against anyone. Sadly, we live in a
world with too many bad-actors to keep up with them all.
Third, how rapidly the video went “viral” demonstrates how
easily we can stir passion about an issue. But, passion must be balanced with
knowledge. I am reminded of how often things get spread that, upon some
investigation, turn out to be fraudulent, out-of-date, or incorrect on some
level. In fact, “Snopes.com” and other websites exist to help us discover the
“real”, the “false” and the “partially true”. So, we should absolutely stir and act on passion, but we must do our homework
first. Check the information before passing it on. Make sure as best you can
that it is solid and current. For example, where is Kony now – Uganda or
someplace else, as best as we can determine? Is “International Children” a
solid agency? Whether they are or not does not change my point here that we
should check them out, as we should any agency we don’t know. I am willing to
bet that the vast majority of people who passed the video on knew little or
nothing about them.
Fourth, I heard many respond to critics of the project with
the sentiment “doing something is better than doing nothing”. Sadly, that is
not always the case! For example, giving money to a need is sometimes helpful,
but sometimes counterproductive. Simply giving money away may develop a sense
of entitlement in the recipient and may not really solve the core problem (see,
“Welfare System, United States”). I am
not saying we should not give money to causes, but we need to give money,
training, equipment because it helps, not just because it makes us feel better to
do “something.” Doing a “right” something is the key. True compassionate care
focuses on the needs of others,
Fifth, the campaign should make us evaluate how we expend
our energy and resources. I should be
generous with my time, money, and talents, but I’m limited in what I can do.
The world has far more needs than any one person or any one ministry can
address. How do I decide what to address, what is “most” important? What is
most important: Justice against Kony? Or against Kabuga? Or against the
abortion doctor down the street who takes who-knows-how-many lives? Or against
the Mexican drug cartels just across the border? Or compassion for the homeless
man in the shelter? Or mercy for the remote village that desperately needs a
water well? There is no right or wrong answer – all these needs, and more, are
important. How you prioritize them shows something about the passion God has
given you. And remember to be gracious to those whose priorities and passion are different in
kind or intensity than yours!
Sixth, the video forces us to think about when America as a
nation should insert herself into the affairs of another country. The Kony
video asserted Kony “wasn’t important enough” to garner U.S. attention. I’m not
sure that is a fair statement. Fundamentally, should the U.S. actively pursue
every evil actor in the world? Opinions about when the government should get
involved run from never getting
involved outside of the United States to getting involved on every front. Most of us lie someplace
between those extremes, and we won’t always agree. I suspect that some of the
same people who say we should help pursue Kony are the same people who argue we
should not have done xxxx (you fill in the blank).
I hope Kony is brought to justice. I hope the campaign
challenges us to think “outside the box”. Whether or not we agree with it
individually, I hope it forces us to carefully think about our own convictions.
And I hope each of us acts upon the
convictions we hold, for the glory of God.
[1]
I’m not singling out Africa, per se. I mention it simply because it is Kony’s
turf. Obviously, countries on other continents have faced (or are facing) the
same sort of cruelties!
[2]
For more on recent African history, read Martin Meredithe, The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence (New
York: Public Affairs,Inc.,2005)
[4]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/04/the-worlds-most-wanted-list.
Accessed March 26, 2012
