My dream is to see a world in which extreme poverty is eliminated. But there is a largely hidden problem which frustrates attempts to deal with economic poverty. A recent study pointed out that the number one problem that poor people face in developing countries is not starvation or disease but a fear of violence. Violence keeps people poor and prevents them bettering themselves and their families.
Imagine …
- Imagine living in a community where you are totally outside of the rule of law. Where the police force and courts only look after the well-off and the educated. Where law enforcement is under-funded and cannot cope with the multitude of crimes committed against the poor and the vulnerable. Where the police force and courts are corrupt and accept bribes from the guilty.
st returned from Sunny California and I am trying to re-acclimatise myself to U.K. time and weather. I went to Los Angeles to attend the Justice Conference and returned fired-up and ready to go. I need to watch some of the videos again and gather my thoughts, but here are some of my initial thoughts.
As we look at our own country, and around the world, we see that bribery and corruption causes untold misery in the lives of ordinary people, the poor and the powerless. Do we stop giving because in some cases “aid” is diverted to Swiss bank accounts? What can we do to help stamp out this evil, which causes so much hardship, and paralyses a country’s development?
Jesus affirmed the Old Testament law: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Italics mine). The implication here is clear: how we love and treat other people, is linked very closely to how we love and treat ourselves. I must admit that I have often emphasised the first part – loving our neighbour – and ignored the second part – loving ourselves. If we don’t love ourselves we do not have much basis for loving other people. We may feel uncomfortable about the idea of loving ourself. Connotations include selfishness, and “looking after number one”. But there is a place for loving, and caring for, ourself so that we are free to love other people. In this article I want to explore this in more detail.
I will be 70 years old later on this year. I have always had a sense of purpose in my life though it took me some time to realise what it was. At the age of 45, I left the computer industry to set up a charity. I have now passed control of the work to young people who are doing an excellent job. But what does the future hold for me?
Compassion and Justice 