I once was blind but now can see
If I were to strike up a debate on human trafficking we could only come to one conclusion (I hope!). That it is wrong and that anyone involved has lost any sense of humanity. We would be very quick to condemn these people but do any of us have the right to?
Human trafficking is a horrific business which rakes in millions a year. It was recently reported that thousands of those trafficked pass through Ireland as a back door to the UK and the rest of Europe….right under our noses!
I’m not blaming you, myself or any other reader for such a crime…but what is that repels us most about it? It is my view that what really strikes us when we consider such a crime is the lack of respect given to the trafficked by the traffickers. The fact that those bought and sold as slaves have been refused the human dignity they are owed. These people are treated as sub-human! This is what sickens me….probably you too.
Do we not treat certain groups with something other than the respect the deserve as brothers and sisters? “How dare you!!”: I hear from offices and sitting room couches. If you feel offended and accused then I’ve succeeded. How do we act when we see a homeless person on the street? How do we feel about the child within it’s mothers womb? How do see refugees, the poor or even embryos in a cold lab in Brighton?
As sons and daughters of God we all due a certain respect as the royalty we are. Jesus never recognised the secular titles of ‘Lord’ or ‘Lady’, ‘King’ or ‘Queen’, ‘Rich’ or Poor’. To Him we were all equal…so then, how can we forget something so revolutionary about His teachings? It suits us to forget I suppose.
It’s one thing to say “Oh dear…that’s awful.” and move on. It’s one thing to put a few euros in a box. But how would I feel if my wages were split with a man in Zambia who didn’t have the same opportunities that I did?
On my way to work yesterday I met a homeless man on the street. Being from the country it was the first time I had met a homeless person face to face since I spent a few days with Fr. Peter McVerry SJ. In those few days the group that I was with felt a massive shift in how they viewed the homeless.
Until now I always walked passed the homeless or brushed them off with the casual “Sorry. No change.” but this time it was different. As he spoke to me I felt absolutely terrible….sick to the stomach that this man was to sleep on the streets tonight because our society has failed him.
So here I am today…I’m not going to sell all my house and my dog to pay for shelter for the homeless. I’m not asking you to do the same. But I realise that when I was younger I couldn’t pass a homeless person without giving them something or at the very least feeling a pang of guilt. Since then, like most, I have taught myself to deal with reality….I’ve become desensitised to the parts of reality that I don’t like…like homelessness. In trying to live Christian lives we can forget about others….but this can’t happen. You can’t praise God and fail to notice true suffering.
I did wake up different this morning…I realise that I was wrong. That guilt is good. It shows I’m human and that so are they. So don’t go and sell everything…but maybe allow yourself to feel guilty. Allow yourself to recognise a human as such…and allow yourself to feel angry at how they are forced to live.
Thursday, August 2nd, 2007 and is filed under Love Thy Neighbour.
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Sister Julianna Says:
And, please, give to those agencies who are helping these in such need.. An old saying, “put your money where your mouth is..” All these agencies are in great need of support; time especially from volunteers. we work with them ceaselessly. The worst deprivation is thinking that no one cares…Caring is not an emotion; it is a physical action. See how Jesus cared in His earthly life. Blessings this day..
October 11th, 2007 at 3:19 pm