Kony 2012

How precious are they. Just saying. Anyway, I don't even know where to begin with this. So it's gonna be scatterbrained. Long hair don't care. This post is not me trying to talk you into supporting Kony 2012 or getting you to join the Invisible Children club. So give it a chance. I wrote this because yes I'd love to share how I feel with the public but mostly, I just need to get things off my chest. So please, save yourself the time writing me a long drawn out argument because I'm not going to read or fight back.  And the last thing I would want to do is beg someone to fight for something they don't care about or disagree with.

First of all, I am THRILLED to see that the war in the Sudan is getting the attention it has deserved for the last 30 years. It is disgusting what is being done and just as disgusting that it has gone without attention. There have been news articles here and there since the 80's but no one really ever glanced twice. In my high school, the Invisible Children club was something I really enjoyed being involved in and was successful for the most part. Kony 2012 is NOT the first video made by IC. There are many others, and many clips from Kony 2012 are actually excerpts from them. This is not a new thing, obviously, since it has been going on for nearly 30 years, but the Invisible Children "movement" I guess you could say has been trying to get noticed for years. Many of the same people I went to high school are now becoming deeply concerned with what's going on with Joseph Kony after watching Kony 2012, and the sad thing is that for four years we were basically begging them to listen. But you know what? It doesn't matter. Because it's finally exposed. And before some of you get on your high horse claiming to be one of the "original" people helping this movement, just stop. If that's what is important to you, I would hardly classify that as the attitude of a humanitarian. So don't call all these people "bandwagoners." If people are hopping on a bandwagon that is focusing on the welfare of children, I don't understand how anyone in their right mind could take offense to that. Now let me get back on track... When Obama sent troops over to Uganda in October, the news article was barely two paragraphs long and the overall coverage on the story was minimal. Who are we to blame for this delay and lack of information? Who's fault is it that people are just now becoming aware? I'm not sure if it's our fault as a country for becoming numb to what is going on in third world countries, or the media for understanding our lack of concern, thus labeling it as something that doesn't "concern" or "interest" the majority of America as viewers and readers, and not wasting their time covering these current events. I think the major reason for this is because from what I observe in everyday conversation, social media, etc. is that many people see third world countries and most of the continent of Africa as a lost cause altogether. The late night Feed the Children commercials have become something we are used to. It isn't shocking or upsetting to most people. The general attitude toward these issues is that there will always be hunger, they're all dying of AIDS anyway, even if I do pay 25 cents a day, they are all basically sentenced to death so it doesn't matter. Who cares if they can't afford an education. It's not like they need that to farm. And now, who cares if they are child soldiers? It's not like they were doing anything with their lives in the first place. WRONG. They are human beings. And no human being should be subject to these kinds of atrocities.

This is not just about Joseph Kony. This is not about donating three dollars to TRI and buying your Kony 2012 Kit. This is not about publicity for Invisible Children. That may be what it is to some, but that's not what it should be. This should be about standing up for our fellow man and claiming them as a human being. A child of God. A person with the potential for greatness. Worthy of a life without fear.  Liberation. Putting an end to rape and sex slavery. Ensuring that children can go to sleep at night without the fear of being snatched from their homes. Ending wars. Taking back stolen childhoods. And I'm not just talking about in the Sudan. And I'm not talking about in Somalia. I'm talking about everywhere, all the time, in the past, right now, in the future. 2012 is not going to be the end of the world, but I do believe it could be the beginning of the end of a war. An emotional one. The war against ourselves. Against indifference, and turning our cheek to our neighbor when they're in need. The war against ignorance and being uneducated about what's going on in our world today. The war against basically everything that essentially leads to a militaristic war.

There is so much hype going on with Invisible Children. Criticism on how their money is spent, if everything they're saying is really true, who they actually support, etc. I've read the "visible children" article. I've read the articles that defend IC from what is said in the visible children article. And I encourage you to as well. Educate yourself as much as possible when it comes to this and take your OWN stance on what you believe because if all you have done is simply watch the Kony 2012 video, I am sorry, but you are still so naive to what is going on. There are hours of film you can watch on this, both provided by Invisible Children and not.  I am so excited about the Invisible Children club getting started at Auburn and if you support IC I would be overjoyed for another member. But I honestly could care less whether or not you agree with Invisible Children as a group or not. Because, like I said, this isn't about them. By supporting what is going on with Kony 2012 and encouraging you to as well, I am in no way asking you to claim yourself as an "Invisible Children supporter." It's not about a label. This is about bringing justice that is long overdue. You don't have to spend any money to do your part to stop this. Pick up the phone and call someone. A senator, or a family member that isn't aware of what's going on. Write letters to people in our government expressing how you feel. This war was going on long before Invisible Children was created, they don't have to be associated with each other if you don't want them to be. They don't have to go hand in hand. You can be an advocate for one without the other. Don't let your disagreement with a certain campaign stop you from taking action or caring about this situation if it has moved you. Stop telling people not to support the spread of the video just because you disagree with Invisible Children. The video is informational. Just because it says how you can get involved with IC doesn't mean you have to.

For those of who you do support IC, that's awesome for you. You're not alone. For those of you who don't, props for knowing your beliefs. You're not alone either. But either way, I encourage you to pray for this situation. For our government, for these children, for the LRA, and for Joseph Kony.

And if you really don't care about what's going on in the Sudan, then that's what floats your boat. But I hope that you are at least inspired to stand up for SOMETHING you believe in. In just a few days, millions of people have joined the fight to stop Joseph Kony. It shows that when exposed to the terrors that are so very real in our world, people want to do something about it. If your thing is Pro-Life, putting and end to world hunger, whatever, start a campaign. Be heard. Because you aren't the only person out there who wants to make a difference, and you're not the only one who cares. Many just don't know how or aren't aware of all of the things that are wrong with our society. So quit complaining that no one does anything for YOUR cause, or the troubled youth of America, and get off of your couch and YOU do something about it. You have the power to you know.

Everyone knew about the 72 day wedding. Few knew about the 30 year war... until now. It's your voice. I don't care what you do with it, but do SOMETHING with it.