"Justice entails a requirement to act when we become aware of injustice." --Dalai Lama
Monday, June 29, 2009
I blog about human rights every single day (see profile for link). It's been keeping me pretty busy, but it's worth it if I can make even the smallest difference.
It's good to see others working against injustice out there, it gives me a lot of hope for humanity. :-)
I am aware of many injustices going on in our world from the petty to the serious and everything in between. I'm also aware that though one person cannot singularly change the outline of history as we know it, that one person can change the views of enough people to effect a real change in the world. Ghandi famously said to "Be the change you want to see in the world" and, in essence, change starts from within.
I am a Bahá'i, a member of the Bahá'i Faith (www.bahai.org) which is currently under heavy persecution in Iran where the government is committing mass genocide on the believers in this Faith. These severe injustices are causing me to make a change by spreading the word. We all need to know what's going on. We need to be aware of injustices of all kinds in all places against all people. I am a firm believer that if you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem. So how do we solve this problem? I don't know exactly but I know that if I let enough people know that there is a problem then someone, somewhere--with enough power to make a change--will hear about it and do something that can stop what's happening from being a reality in our world. When Hitler began his mass genocide against the Jews it didn't start big with concentration camps and what we know call the Holocaust; it started small and trickled into something much bigger. The world ignored the small trickles because it wasn't their fight and they didn't think they had a place to say or do anything to bring change...look at what's happened when we see injustice and we don't bring change. Millions were killed and those who weren't have to live with the memories of what has happened and the guilt that comes with sitting idly and doing nothing.
Be the change you want to see in the world. Fight injustice. The court case for the Baha'i prisoners in Iran is on July 11th, 2009. This day is being called Bahá'i Rights Day and Bahai's everywhere are trying to get the word out to let people know what's going on to try and raise as much attention about this problem as possible. Go to http://twitter.com/BahaiRights or http://twitter.com/bahairightsday for more information on this day.
Don't know anything about the Baha'i situation in Iran? Go to www.iranpresswatch.org or www.bahairights.org/ for more info.
@braxtonrob You and I aren't getting along. What say you just pick your fights in the shallow water. Smarter and less humilation for you. I'm giving you an out, I suggest you take it.
@braxtonrob Had you asked me why I feel the way I do, you might have been able to reach such a conclusion. But you didn't.
Which tells me that you lack intellectual curiosity and are perfectly comfortable calling people names without any real basis.
@zamfir You're absolutely right; you are not at all an idiot. I apologize.
I believe you are a flake; a radical leftist who gives ignorant thought to politics, politicians, and their true motives.
An idiot implies that you're not capable of processing the available information.
I have no doubt that you are capable - you just refuse to examine it closely or process it correctly because you are easily influenced by the TRULY stupid....Hollywood, their celebrities, and their 'news' teams on MSNBC. Barack Obama is just an ambitious politician who knows how to tell voluntarily-ignorant people, like yourself, EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR.
I stand corrected.
You are...a flake.
@braxtonrob Because I support our president, I'm an idiot? Ok, whatever.
@p4bosnia Good one! Truly. (@zamfir is an idiot; amazing how American voters have been persuaded into relinquishing all their rights, and benefits of capitalism, to a 'rhetorical, political, pretty-boy', in response to an overly-greedy, stupid credit-industry-endorsing Congress, all the while being influenced by the dumbest people on the planet! ....Hollywood celebrities.)
When is that big earthquake gonna hit California, anyhow?!?
(I hope San Diego makes it, I've always wanted to go there.)
@Kiaroux That was outstanding what you wrote, "One thing that I'm always adamant about doing is changing people's perceptions about certain issues while at the same time supporting their own personal views."
Born salesperson.
The whole thing was good! Very admirable & extremely insightful.
You are destined for success.
I believe educational inequality is one of greatest injustices of our time. Education has dramatic implications on poverty, prison rates, economic opportunity, and social mobility. There is a clear and dramatic achievement gap drawn along socioeconomic lines. It is astounding and to me it is devastating. We grew up with it in our own backyards. It was all around me. When I finally connected the stats with the faces of people in the neighborhoods I drove through just a little quicker, it all hit me. It wasn't okay anymore. So I fight against it by teaching. I put myself in middle of the problem. Three years ago I joined Teach for America. I started teaching in a Title I school in downtown Phoenix. Three years later, I'm getting ready for my fourth year in the classroom. That's what I do, and I enjoy doing it. I'm more fired up about it now than I was when I started. Every time I get to see a kid put together a bigger word than he's ever read before I see a little piece of Justice right before my eyes. It's not much, but at least it's something.
justice blindfolded??? that there is the statue of liberty. she is not even related to justice. that's somebody else. sorry.
wait, we're all still buying into the idea that Democrats and Republicans are different? Wow. they've already won.
Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Obama are all extreme liars. They all love illegal wars, devalue the middle class, break campaign promises and blame the guy before them, much to the cheering of either the Reds or the Blues. This is not baseball. Don't pick a side. Don't choose to like one and be blind to their flaws because they wear the same jersey as you. They all need to be held to account.
this quote upsets me, because i am aware of more and more injustice- things that are just so much bigger than me- things that are absolutely remote and incomprehensible. half the time, i am not well informed enough to even know what right action would be. it makes me feel like my existence, under this defenition of justice, is not justifiable. i think its important to recognize that everyone needs to work together, and that little steps count. some things, unfortunately, you have to shrug off. sometimes i wonder if evil plays an essential role in the universe? if its completely meaningless bullshit happening as an effect of the failed experiment called humanity.. the biggest battle becomes, why shouldnt i jump off a cliff and help this species go extinct already? inflammatory i know. and i dont actually believe that, im just illustrating an emotion. doenst it start to feel hopeless if you accept the fact that knowing about something wrong and not acting against it makes you partially responsible? that if youre not a part of the solution, youre part of the problem? complacence is different from being overwhelmed... its not that i'd rather retreat into blissfull ignorance, but maybe im only strong enough to face the smaller things that affect my community. or maybe big stuff can be tacked, its just that you have to pick your battles. if i had to pick one, i guess i'd try to throw a monkey wrench into the coal industry, however that could happen. cause i think its the biggest factor going into climate change, and mountain top removal is horrendous, ethically, and esthetically. but then... do i have more empathy with a pretty landscape than ill-equipped troops being forced to fight for much longer than they bargained for? but then, supporting the troops i guess suports the war, and that effort begins to drop way down on my priority list in comparison to other things like little girls being sold into sex slavery. its a tough call, where to place your efforts, what can you do? so i just dont watch the news anymore. i grow a garden, support local buisnesses, avoid the mall and big supermarkets like the plague, recycle, ride the bus, offer friendship and whatever support i can manage to people having a tough time(but even here, i discriminate between righteous folks and those who are just fucking up for themselves... i ignore crackheads, sorry.) and sometimes i pray.... and i pray that little things will be enough. cause i cant fucking protest or even stay educated and write letters, it makes me feel toxic.
Correcting the unspoken notion that members of the Kingdom of God should behave and think and look no differently than members of other nations.
injustice against children-by volunteering in taking care of abandoned children
@jleigh355 Clinton, despite his dalliances, was a good president who did a number of good things. Bush was a bad president, who did a number of bad things. Obama is a good president who has already done a number of good things, and he will help this nation. We will be able to look ourselves in the eye again.
@jleigh355 "couldnt disagree more. Obama scares me. The only reason Bush looked bad was because Clinton started him on a spiral."
I cannot even imagine what sort of Rube Goldbergian logic you must have used to justify that statement.
@Cueball i agree...i often see people who are in need of finances and I just dream of being able to help me like that. I know that i would if i had the funds to do so!! Recently I was at a subway in a very small town in my home state and there was a fundraiser flyer for a young man who was suffering from a terminal illness. How I wanted to help but couldn't!!!! It ate me up inside for a few days, I can still see the young man's face in my mind. I wish living paycheck to paycheck wasn't how life was for me. I'd want to do more. On the radio today I overheard someone stating how some athlete was getting 35 million over 2 years. I thought, wow, you know how many poeple that could help? I worked at a church for fairly affluent members of the metro area I live in and it always bothered me how people lived....if they had chosen a Honda over a Jaguar, a 450k home over a 600k home, they could donate many INCOMES a year that would make a WORLD of a difference!!! It was too hard for me to work in that environment for that reason.
Trying to actively work against the injustices against our planet... If you don't think global warming effects you... Think again. Get active.
The Dali Lama was talking about acting when there is action that can be taken. That means that when one sees another being discriminated against one acts when it is happening or even before it happens, not after the fact. If your neighbor is a single parent struggling to make ends meet one volunteers to help by watching the kids once a week so he or she can get the shopping done without dragging along all of the kids. One might act as a secret Easter Bunny or Santa to the kids or just be present to listen to the parent in times of stress. One might take in a stray animal or call the authorities when abuse is suspected. There are many types of injustice and many ways in which we can become more active in promoting justice in this world. Prevention of injustice promotes justice, fighting injustice and turning it into some high and mighty cause just adds more fuel to the fire. It is the multitudes of little seemingly insignificant actions from which real change grows in the world.
I wouldn't say that I'm actively involved in a publicly visible cause. I volunteer at the SPCA since I think that when people abuse animals, they cannot possibly have any respect for fellow human beings. One thing that I'm always adamant about doing is changing people's perceptions about certain issues while at the same time supporting their own personal views. Something I certainly want to get rid of in this world (an injustice that all of us will face at some time) is that of judging others before hearing their side of the stories and experiencing life from their perspective.
@Cueball I read that argument in my ethics class, and I fully agreed. Amazingly, most people didn't. I think that those with truly good intentions will come up with reasons to serve others even without personal gain; and as for those who disagree, well, I have to wonder if their "philosophical" criticisms were more personal than they admitted. It's uncomfortable being reminded that, as you said, turning a blind eye really can't be excused. Even without a logical or selfish reason to work for justice, it's hard to justify NOT doing something. If nothing else, it's simple utilitarianism- the benefit of society as a whole is what's important.
That sounds like a really interesting charity. Do you help raise money, or are you actually building schools, or what?
I'm actively working to help my GLBT friends gain the same rights that I have as a straight American. I do not want them to be defined by their sexuality, but, right now, that tiny piece of what makes them who they are is limiting them greatly. Yes, it has a great deal to do with the marriage equality issues that are currently in the limelight, but that isn't all. In Missouri, it is completely legal to fire someone because of his or her sexual orientation--pure discrimination. Members of the armed forces are asked to trust one another with their lives, but they are made to live under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
How can I just watch my friends live in injustice?
@zamfir Fascism under Bush? What about Obama's support for the elimination of the card check rule to satisfy leftist labor unions? What about the stimulus bill which he and Pelosi literally rammed down the throat of Congress without giving anyone any time to read it? What about the financial freedom he aims to take from the middle and upper class? What about the fact that he owns a big car company?
I don't make the argument that Obama is fascist by any means, but I also think it ridiculous to call Bush a fascist. I think that a better understanding of fascism is in order. It is basically the elimination of freedom and destruction of democracy. It obviously depends on one's own personal political beliefs, but I think it uncouth to make such accusations when there are such arguments to direct at "your guy". President Bush stood for freedom - in the US and around the globe. Do you think it would have taken President Bush more than a week to come out in support of the Iranian dissidents? Absolutely not.
I also must add that unlike many leftists during the Bush Presidency, I can be critical of the President and yet still unequivocally say that I support my President through and through!
An injustice in the world that I believe the world (and the US in particular) has turned a blind eye to is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I returned from living in Jerusalem and traveling throughout Israel, Egypt and Jordan for four months feeling as if I had been living in the dark for years. There are murders (mostly of innocents), terrible injustices, and terrorism being practiced by both sides, but mainly Israelis. The situation is Gaza is horrific, and has been compared to circumstances in South Africa. Everyday, homes and lives are being destroyed by violence that the world refuses to see, or to act about. I am working hard to promote awareness of this situation, and to encourage people to educate themselves about it. It's amazing how destructive ignorance can be. It's hard to understand, living in a country with freedom and comfort, that there are people out there who are afraid and suffering, living in horrific circumstances. No human deserves to live in these circumstances, so I give my support, whether by donating money, time or resources, to raise awareness and help our fellow human beings, trapped in this terrible conflict.
@p4bosnia I think the US was horrible under Bush, and I think Obama is doing a terrific job. He's stopped the slide toward fascism, and it's good to see the US standing tall in the saddle wearing the white hat again. Bush, Cheney, Rove and the lot of them should be featured around the country in dunk tanks. At a dollar a throw, we'd have the US debt solved in a week.
@FreeThinker I'm going to send this to myself at home and read it when I have more time. You've struck a nerve.
@FreeThinker Eating locally raised cage-free/free-range meat is just as healthy an option for the planet as going vegan.
The Right of First Refusal on condo properties. FHA law does not allow this clause on properties and won't lend to them. Condo associations use this in their by laws as a way of keeping those "lowly" FHA tenants out of their vacancies. It's pretty damn discriminatory.
One injustice I am trying to fight is the way people have begun to treat one another. I always go the extra distance to ask a stranger how he or she is doing, start a conversation, or just say hello and make eye contact. There is good in the world, but sometimes, you have to be the one to uncover it.
I've been getting more involved with my church. I'm actually going to be teaching 6th graders there. I try to be a role model of work ethic, industriousness, respect, responsibility and caring. I think character education is lacking, particularly young male role models. That's what I'm working at.
I work with hurting and at-risk teenagers. The teens i work with come from highly dysfunctional homes. I work to help them cope, change their lives, and restore hope in their futures. I work to stop cycles of violence, failure, addictions, dysfunctional relationships and work to restore hope and change.
I choose animal cruelty and breed profiling as the injustices I tackle daily.
I'm training to run a 1/2 marathon to raise money for building a clean water well in Liberia, Africa. I'm also planning on going to help build it.
It's a small thing really, but for the past 18 years I've advocated recycling in my work place. I work in a salon and I take and sort the recycling to the near by recycling station. I've encouraged the girls to do so at home too.
Foster children. And children who age out of foster care with little or no life skills. They are sent out to fend for themselves usually the very same day they turn 18.
www.casavalentina.org
Right now, I listen. Listen to peoples' stories -- their hurts, their hopes, even their jokes that nobody else thinks are funny. Everyone has something to say, and so many people just want to feel like someone cares. I love people as best I can, and for now that's all I can do, but I'm going to college for engineering soon. There, I'll learn to solve problems, and to build things that can inspire, educate, and make at least a few lives a little better. This is my art.
I think the key is children. Teach them, love them and show them the difference between right and wrong and you fight all kinds of injustice everywhere and prevent it! =)
My most direct involvement is with a charity that raises money to fund schools in Africa (www.learnasone.org). The question is interesting though - it's a mirror of a famous philosophical argument by Peter Singer in Famine, Affluence and Morality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famine,_Affluence,_and_Morality) which suggests that actually, there's never a moral justification for turning a blind eye.
@gee - you're so very wrong. I spent years feeling the same way after someone at college told me the one thing you can do to prove you have no power in this world is join Amnesty International. Thankfully, I've since discovered that you can make a big difference to a lot of people's lives while at the same time enriching your own without that much real effort.
@CharlesPrueter <-- this guy stated in almost exact words what I am fighting for.
In order to elaborate on my own goals however and not place him into things he may not believe in, I would say that I am extremely objectivist and am working towards opening people's minds to the philosophy of the individual working for himself in, yes, a selfish manner because to love oneself and what you individually can achieve, is the highest level of pleasure. That achievement can be anything from building a skyscraper, to something that could be seen as altruistic, such as giving your earned money to a charity willingly if that's what makes you happy.
Lot of single moms with boys at church, so make myself available to horse around together since they rarely or never see their real dads.
I have given up.
I don't think anyone can fight all the injustices in the world.
It won't make any difference whatever I do.
Is government control and takeover of a democracy an injustice? If so, not much is being done to actively work against it.
I'd like to disagree with CharlesPrueter's comment, in that the right to establish justice is a right of freedom, and, therefore, the metaphor still applies... but anyways:
I feel that I that since I have only a small corner of this world to govern (myself and my own beliefs), i have responsibly fought ignorance on my part in that piece of the puzzle.
My initial hesitation in answering this question centered on the quote that is quite popular in various circles these days, "Be the change you want to see." Not only is that the arena where change is effected, but probably also the root of where injustice is fought.
Not sure how successful I am, or whether I'm sandbagging in how much energy I put into this but I like to think my answer is:
I am actively working against the injustice of too little understanding vs too much judgement.
How's that?
This is Lady Liberty blindfolded, not Lady Justice blindfolded - but we'll let that go.
I will be starting law school in the fall to protect and defend those God-given rights we hold so dear. Natural law governs us all, but I think that has been lost on many - especially those in government. There is a body of elitists in Washington to wants to control our lives through regulation and taxes - I dissent. That same body seems to be indifferent when it comes to the freedom of others around the globe. I believe all have the right to be free and that it is our duty as Americans to facilitate that right around the globe. So, what am I doing to fight injustice? I am training to be a powerful fighter for justice across several spectra.
@uh_huh_yeah I agree that local activism is invaluable. It's what starts bigger movements. My only problem is that once I get started I want to keep going... first my campus, then my city, then the world!
I've gotten really involved with my campus's gay-straight alliance, and this past year I helped start a campaign to get straight allies involved and informed about gay rights issues. I've always had that same urge to fix the world, to fight injustice, but this is the first thing I feel like I've actively done. Being on a Catholic campus made it that much more challenging, and we almost had to stop the campaign, but even without that factor it would have been quite a feat. As a straight person, I didn't used to care about these issues at all; while everybody likes animals and wants to save the endangered wood mouse and stuff like that, it's hard to get people to care about something like gay rights if they don't already.
I've given money to charities before and seen the Invisible Children documentary, but I've never felt so personally invested in the success of a campaign. There are a lot of reasons: of course, I want to help my [many] gay friends in obtaining equal rights, and I want to challenge heterosexist views. But I think the reason I wanted this campaign to happen so badly is because it involved personal transformation for me. Up until three years ago I was adamantly against gay rights in pretty much any form, and clearly, a lot has changed since then. Any kind of charity work or activism is important, but I think other people are impacted most when it's something that has deep personal meaning to you.
It's been a struggle so far, but I think that fighting against the bureaucracy and being called gay myself (and getting a whole lot of weird looks) has made this campaign mean more to me than it otherwise would. Money is important, but personally experiencing the struggle that grassroots activists go through is a much more valuable experience.
For the past couple of years I have been an unofficial advocate for Invisible Children. This has included a fund raiser and a political science paper that I planned on mailing to my Senator had the recent legislation not been passed. I think nearly every cause is noble but I don't think this one gets near enough attention. We are talking about child soldiers here people.
The #1 thing you can do to stop the poisoning of your own body, make a dent in the largest contributing industry to global warming and boycott the heartless torture and murder of innocent sentient farm animals is... GO VEGAN!
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/
Read the info at the above link. Get informed! There are millions of dollars spent on lobbying efforts and media campaigns every year to keep this data out of your immediate perspective. A little extra effort can go a long way.
Call me disillusioned, but I personally feel that joining up with a "Save the Earth" campaign doesn't in the end do a whole lot. A lot of talk happens but there's little action and too often it gets bogged down in bureaucratic BS. I have a lot more faith in the power of art to influence people's thoughts, actions, and attitudes. I'm not talking about political documentaries, but spiritual awakenings. I truly believe that if everybody watched Frank Capra movies on a regular basis the world would be a better place. I think greater change is possible but I'd rather see it through teaching people to be good over getting out there and handing out flyers to support some narrow cause. Its a strange mix of cynicism and excessive optimism but hey it works for me.
I don't drink Coca Cola anymore. I live in Colombia, and The Coca cola company kills union members and leaders as means to keep control over payment issues. it is disgusting. Besides, Coke is roach juice. so any product by the coca cola company is a big no no.
I also recently sttoped taking drugs and alcohol. Drugs are the new mean goverments have to finance meaningless wars, and i don't want anyone dying to get me high. And alcohol is supposed to finance school programs and health issues in my country. and if there is something worse than a Public school in Colombia, it has to be a public hospital. plus, my skin looks better, and my paranoia is in control. Now if there was something i could do now about my temper...
Unfortunately, I am not working against any injustice. I feel like in this country, money speaks louder than actions, which in turn muffles words. These days, whoever can write the biggest check is going to win. For this reason, I am not wasting valuable time and effort to fight for or against something, when I don't have the millions to back it up. I think that the best thing any of us can do, is to make changes in our communities. If we all act locally, it effects us globally.
Apparently, I tilt at too many windmills. I keep being told not to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, that I can't fix everything. But god dammit, I believe in justice. When I see injustice, I tend to do something about it, often mollifying my wife. By the same token, if I feel I've done something unjust, I tend to flagellate myself for it. In any other thread, people would tell me to cut myself some slack, so this thread seems to vindicate what I've been saying all along. Considering the amount of hell I get for it, I'm sure there is a balance I have yet to find. If I knew where it was, I'd be in a better position to weigh in. But I obviously don't.
u say u wanna revolution, welll, u know... we all wanna change the world!
the only thing i am most adept at is fiercely, and unconditionally, loving. this works for trying to right many injustices.
It's recent, but I've felt very called to help the situation in Iran. There isn't a whole lot that I can do right now, besides providing information, translating, etc..But I hope to do more someday. We might not be in Iran, we might have not voted, but we can still help their voice be heard.
i don't think any one person can take on all the problems of the world...but it starts with each person taking a small step...helping one person...taking in one puppy from the pound...etc
I'm traveling the world for the next year with a group of photographers to speak out against injustice issues like infanticide, honor killings, human trafficking, etc. Our camera tells the story of people who can't speak up for themselves. We are a voice for the voiceless.
DISCUSSION TOOLSET
child sex slavery.
i work for love146.
www.love146.org