As part of a train of thought spiraling from my previous posts about Life, something really hit me and inspired this post.
I am glad and blessed to be born in Singapore, arguably a rich nation where there is no lack of food, comfort and enjoyment. Most of the people in advanced first world countries are trying hard to find meaning in Life, suggesting that Life with all its luxuries probably does not and cannot fully satisfy the Human Soul. Sometimes being in comfort and luxury can make us take Life for granted, because we never experienced hardships.
Our experience of Life has made us de-sensitized to others around us, especially in a world that the "Self" and "individuality" is stressed, we forget there are people out there, who are just hanging on by a thread, struggling on for survival.
In Matthew 9, Jesus spoke about these groups of people: sick, poor, oppressed and needy. Matthew 9:36-38 described a scene where Jesus was ministering to the crowds: of these included people whom were deemed as "sinners" and taxcollectors. The despised and unworthy peoples of their time. This was the response of Jesus, the incarnation of God Himself in flesh:
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9:36-38)
Today, who are our poor, needy, oppressed and impoverished? To these people, Life is down to 1 single word: Survival
Like in the video above, it shows really poor people who think they have no hope for the future: their meaning to life is just to dig trash in hope of finding rotting food scraps to feed themselves and their children and salvaging things they can sell off for a meagre amount of money.
They have to even be careful not to be cut by deadly trash: needles and glass that may injure or even kill.
What about elsewhere in a place where the vibrant Sex industry is thriving?
This place is Pattaya by night, a place popular for its Red Light district where "modern slavery" happens. In a place where guys are dressed as ladies, women assume the jobs of prostitutes, and confused growing up children are sold into the trade all for money's sake. Tourists who visit the place can easily buy over a person and do whatever they want with them for a small sum.
This is the REAL world. All of these things and even more atrocious stuff are being done by the supposedly Rich and wealthier minority of the world. The effect on the oppressed and poor is visible for all to see. Just because the rich can afford it, they can pay off to buy a person's dignity and respect and trample it on the floor. And they do it as if it's nothing wrong, to satisfy their own perverse lusts.
These things are happening by the minute as we live our lives, all concerned about ourselves, our needs, our wants. What does Life hold for these people? How grieved God's heart is when we, the supposedly richer and wealthier portion of the globe are supposed to be lending a helping hand to them, yet we rub salt into the wounds by exploiting them of whatever we can get out of them.
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"God of the City" is a song inspired by the band Bluetree, a group of christian band invited into a bar of Pattaya to try to reach them and were shocked by what they saw there: People even laughed at them when they told them they weren't there for the sex. (tourists are automatically assumed to be so)
Before we can think about changing and transforming the world into a place where such atrocities can be stopped, we need to realize: the change begins with ourselves.
There is so much and so little we can do. Yes, we may not belong to the poor and oppressed. We can even be apathetic and don't care about it, as long as we are not the receiving end of their fates. But is this right?
I really pray for these nations and people, that one day. God will send people into these nations to help them. Hearts of flesh we are made, surely, if we are humans, we can't simply brush this off just because it's not happening to ourselves.
Ending off with a song by Leeland - Tears of the Saints.