Collective Sorrow and Value of Empathy

[Note: This is a little bit all over the place today. Hope I don’t make too many people crazy. Thanks for reading.]

This post is a part of Creative Buzz, organized by T.A. Woods and Michelle Liew. You can find out more at: http://penpaperpad.com/ or http://gettingliteral.com/

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Usually I try not to react too quickly to things in the news or online. It seems like there are many times when something that sounds horrible is proven false, or something happens to alleviate a situation, thus making any reaction from me superfluous.

Usually.

I don’t fool myself my thinking my little blog makes much difference in the scheme of things, but sometimes there are things that demand comment. Even so, I tend to percolate and weigh my words, trying to not say anything in case I can avoid wading into the shark-infested waters of internet conversation.

This is something, though, that continues to irkle me.

George Zimmerman’s verdict was a really sad day. I’m not personally invested in the case in any way, and have no personal ties to the people or the area. I’ve followed it casually but tried not to get too emotionally invested. However, I was paying attention, partly because I think people make a lot of unfair, sweeping, dismissive generalizations about teenagers, and because of the fact that an armed adult shot an unarmed teenager in a hoodie. It seemed like a no-brainer guilty verdict.

When the actual verdict came down, I saw something on Twitter that was very insensitive, especially considering the timing. After I read it, I looked at the brief bio of the author (someone I do not know), and I was even more disturbed: she claimed to be a Christian.The word Christian can mean all sorts of things to all sorts of people, but this woman took the time to point out that she’s a follower of Christ.

That changes things.

In her post she pointed out that abortion had killed millions more than George Zimmerman had (not a direct quote).

Wow.

Just…wow.

She and I are both probably wondering the same thing: where is the justice?

She chose to take her stand against abortion on a day when a great number of people were physically affected by their sorrow over this verdict and how our justice system could produce it. It was no accident that she posted on that day. Her activism against abortion must be a high propriety in her life, and she saw an opportunity to make a statement.

All that given to her, I must still ask, where is her sensitivity? Where is her attitude of “weep with those who weep?” Where is her empathy for the family of Treyvon Martin and the African-American community?

From MorgueFilehttp://mrg.bz/8SQnFa

It saddens me to think that her zeal for one issue will cloud her vision and affect “her witness” of being a follower of Christ.

Jesus didn’t sucker punch people when they were vulnerable.

You still have your pet political issues and still express sympathy for someone else’s loss. I question my own complicity in a system of discrimination because I have a position of privilege. I am a middle-class white female. Overall, I’ve got it pretty easy. What role do I have in this verdict or the system that seems to be happy to convict some people at a much higher percentage than others?

My faith gives me an express responsibility for the widow, the orphan and the alien. In our society, that means anyone who is marginalized. That responsibility lives out differently for everyone, but for me, today, it means speaking up.

Has the Treyvon Martin case affected you? Do you have certain causes that might cloud your vision to the validity of other causes? And I’m very curious to hear how you decide when to comment on things you see on the internet?

Posted by TC Larson in Faith, Uncategorized Tags: Christian, Creative Blog Hop, Empathy, Following Jesus, Internet Conversation, Sorrow, Treyvon Martin