Why Compassionate Action exists

Information Excess. Action Atrophy.

Attention, commitment, empowerment and desensitization

When I think about human suffering and ending it... I usually think about stopping the suffering. I think about ways to stop it. I get overwhelmed!

I might write one letter. I might build a web site. But how do I matter in a world of millions of suffering people? I loose hope very quickly.... then I see a picture or read a story and I am inspired again.... inspired by Compassion to take action.

I may loose hope again, but that's the ebb and flow of life. We get hopeful, we loose hope, we get excited, we get jaded, we pursue things... we withdraw.

And I wonder what it is that really stops me from making my life goal to reach out to suffering people... and I think its a lack of empowerment. Empowerment moves me to action becuase it tells me "YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WHAT YOU DO, WHAT YOU THINK, HOW YOU ACT ACTUALLY MATTERS!"

And there are people who are amazing at empowerment. One person who has inspired me and empowered me is Bono from U2.

A couple quotes by Bono: "Africa is a continent in flames. And deep down if we really accepted that Africans are equal to us, we would do something to put the fire out... I'm asking for your help... I really need help here. This stuff isn't even on the news. You see, it's not as dramatic as the Tsunami... Does stuff have to look like an action movie these days to exist in the front of our brain? " -- Bono

"6 and 1/2 thousand Africans dying per day. That's not a cause, that's an emergency." -- Bono

The slow extinguishing of countless lives is just not dramatic enough, it would appear. Catastrophes that we CAN avert are not as interesting as ones we COULD avert. Funny that." -- Bono

Empowerment is undone by desensitization What I think Bono is talking about is desensitization. He goes on to highlight how years of empowerment can be powerfully undone by media desensitization.

For example, how many times do you jump inside with excitement at the chance of helping end violence when you watch the nightly news about another little girl or boy shot in a drug-related drive-by in D.C.? Does that news really empower you to action?

I barely watch local news.... because it is full of terror. It is not empowering at all. It is crippling to me. It is crippling to US.

Let me quote some lyrics from Jackson Browne's song "Information Wars": "Beyond the hundred million darkened living rooms out where the human ocean roars. Into the failing light, the generations go, heading for the information wars."

"And there's a front row seat for the precious few. The latest war as a pay-per-view. Famine and disaster right in front of you. And the more you watch the less you do."

"And in the flickering light and the comforting glow. You get the world every night as a TV show. The latest spin on the shit we're in, blow by blow. And the more you watch, the less you know."

Isn't that true? How much do we really do watching our TV? How much? Have you EVER been moved to action by your TV apart from knowing someone or meeting someone in your community circles who knows something YOU can do? Someone who empowers you! TV paralyzes us. PEOPLE empower us. PEOPLE inspire us. PEOPLE move us. And community, I believe, is one of the best tools of empowerment, I believe.

And there are ways to empower yourself against desensitization... one way is something we do at Mars Hill Church called service worship (one Sunday per month we dedicate the morning to helping others in our community).

Another thing is something that my friend Matt does, he stops on the road when he sees a disabled motorist.

I could go on about the things I know that my friends do each week. But I think the point is that we not loose hope that WE matter. Our actions might stop a bullet somewhere someday.

What can I do? And I want to plug the idea of group empowerment (synergy) here. Ever heard of Pledge Bank?

Would anyone be interested in agreeing together with me and a group of your friends to extend a group empowerment challenge on www.PledgeBank.com? I found this web site called www.pledgebank.com... We could commit to writing one letter to a politics- or religion-based prisoner this year if 10 other people join us. Or we could protest one injustice toward low income families in the next year. Or we could commit to blogging once a month about an issue benefiting children or hold a fundraiser once this year for children orphened by war this year (or all sorts of ideas). Here are a few pledges people have made on it:

"Libby will commit to at least one project in 2006 through the Untited Nations Online Volunteering Service but only if 5 other people will too. Target met, pledge still open for 33 days."

"Tim will Quit smoking, right at the begining of the year 2006 but only if 10 other people will too. (just 3 days left, 5 more signatures needed)"

"Andy will lobby my Employer to switch to using Fairtrade coffee. but only if 20 other people will too. Target met, pledge over."

So I propose that we use www.pledgebank.com as a consistent, synergistic tool of inspiration and empowerment. Email me at israel@compassionateaction.org and let's talk about starting a challenge on there. Right now I have challenge ideas for 2 things... The cheritable use of this site, and this link