Facebook status reads: I’ve been quiet on certain events both domestic and international not because I don’t care, but because the violence and oppression overwhelms me so much that reading about it has made me physically ill. There are times when I have to step back from being an informed, engaged, indignant Christian feminist libertarian for my own mental, emotional, and yes, physical health.
But the freedom to make this choice, to calm down with happy animal videos and engaging novels, is a major form of privilege. Findlay is not being bombed. Christians in the US are not being persecuted. No one is suspicious of me because of my race. My friends and I can exercise our right to assembly without fearing the police.
People who are surrounded by violence and oppression can’t just leave. They’re forced to deal with it, and they often die for it. That’s a sobering thought we all need to remember.
If you have the energy I currently lack, consider researching and praying for the following examples of systematic violence and oppression:
If They Gunned Me Down (racism in the media)
Ferguson Disgrace: Police Fire on Unarmed Crowds, Attack News Trucks (militant police; abuse of First Amendment rights)
Two Americas: Ferguson, Missouri Versus the Bundy Ranch, Nevada (comparison of government reaction to vastly different scenarios)
Who are the religious and ethnic groups under threat from ISIS? (religious and racial persecution)
Gaza Death Toll Rises to 1,959 (Palestinians killed this summer)
Timeline Of Events In Gaza and Israel Shows Sudden, Rapid Escalation (age-old violence, without an end or solution in sight)
If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed by it all, here’s a happy video to cheer you up.