Sadness

Tonight in class we discussed the role of music in social justice movements in Nicaragua, South Korea, and South Africa. While the South Korea presentation was somewhat uplifting, I was overwhelmed by my place of privilege and the negative role of the United States government in supporting some of these negative regimes. There is a part of me that wants to throw off all of my privilege, but I recognize that it is not something that I can escape, rather it is something of which I must be aware.

Listening to the stories and histories also reminds me of how vulnerable my privilege is and how while in one moment I want to throw it off in another I am fearful of what it would mean to involuntarily lose it! I suspect that it is this feeling of fear of being left completely involuntarily vulnerable to another that causes so many people to cling so tightly to their privilege to the detriment of others. This is where I believe our faith in God must enter into our understanding of human relationships in the context of an interconnected world. Faith that God is just (which can also make one fearful) and that God really does care for every human creation, not just the poor or the rich or the common can reassure us that no matter the circumstances we will not be forgotten--God will be with us!