Invisible Children

Many of you may have heard the name or term “Invisible Children” but most don’t know who they are or what they do. The Invisible Children group is a community of people looking to bring a stop to the trafficking of children soldiers in Africa. Every day in Uganda, children are ripped from their home lives and their families and forced to become soldiers that are trained to kill. They are put into the LRA which is led by Joseph Kony. The LRA is the Lord’s Resistance Army and has been around since 1987. This group terrorizes and kills millions of people for the purpose of going against the government and attempting to take control. This group takes young boys from their families and takes them into the jungle where most will never be seen again. There, they are trained to kill and fight exactly who their leader tells them to. Although Joseph Kony leads this army, he has never been seen and still cannot be found. The Invisible Children group is coming together to try to bring an end to it. The name “invisible children” was created for these poor, hopeless individuals whose lives are ruined the second they are taken from their homes. Survival is the main goal of these boys but many have lost all hope of seeing their friends and families again. These children are invisible because they don’t have names. Invisible because they don’t know their birthdays. Invisible because they vanish and most are never seen again. Invisible because they no longer are seen as a meaningful addition to life. 

A lot of times we hear about groups around the world that are trying to make a difference. Everyone has a belief system and many of them try to help others and stop the bad in the world. But sometimes you have to ask, what are they really doing to help? The Invisible Children campaigns is taking all the money and support that comes their way and are putting it directly into helping the children and families affected by Joseph Kony’s LRA. This money goes to legitimate answers to this problem that is affecting so many people. These children deserve to live a full life full of their own choices and decisions. The Invisible Children organization takes the donations and puts it towards sending African boys to school, creating an LRA crisis tracking tower, films, raising awareness, FM radios and even rehab centers for those affected by tragedy. All of these things can help to put a stop to what is happening right before so many people’s eyes. While one may say that this is America and Africa is not a concern of ours, put yourself into this scenario. Imagine being taken from your home and forced into complete and total warfare. You will never see your family or friends again; you will only be controlled by leaders and rulers who don’t have an ounce of care for you. You will be told to kill and you must do it exactly as they say. You don’t want to do it? Well your life will be taken right then and there before you could even think twice. Putting that into perspective, one should want to donate! Even a small amount of money could save someone’s life. The money is going to good causes and everyone should want to make a change. The Invisible Children are an organization true to their word and they are people who are truly trying to make a difference. 

The next question one might have is where is this group and where are they trying to help? Well, these children soldiers are being taken from Uganda, Africa and are being forced into a jungle that is guarded and secured by the LRA. The Invisible Children group has tried many times to get inside the site and find Kony, but it is nearly impossible. So, they have traveled all over Africa to interview friends and families of people who have lost someone to the LRA. Some boys were shot and killed for refusal, others disappeared years ago and the family is still hopeful that they will return someday. But most of the time, the boys are never seen again. The Invisible Children organization is traveling all around America to try and make a change. They are in schools, towns, where ever they can get a word out. They have contacted the government and tried everything they could to get their name out and their mission. The Invisible Children organization travels everywhere and will continue to travel until they have put a stop to these horrific events. This wonderful group of people continues to travel to Africa to travel around, not for fun, but to make a difference. They will go to no end to communicate with boys and families who have information. These people have a purpose and that is putting an end to this tragedy before it’s too late. 

This group of people who have become the voice of these children have been around since 2004. Since then, they have traveled to and from Africa and all around America to make a difference. They have one purpose and one purpose only: put a stop to the LRA and Kony. It seems like a fairly large task, but they will not stop until it gets done. Throughout these past 9 years, the organization has created films and documentaries to inform everyone about what is going on. These videos truly appeal to your emotions and make you want to help. The videos show the starving young people, the testimonials of families who have lost children to the LRA and even some footage of the young child soldiers. Also in the past 9 years, the Invisible Children have created FM radios and a radio tower so that whenever the LRA is coming, everyone is alert and warned. The Invisible Children have done so much in the past 9 years and will continue to reach out and make a difference. It is sad and sickening to see people being ripped from their families and forced into murder. The Invisible Children create a glimmer of hope that someone will put a stop to such a horrible thing that is going on each and every day. 

After being informed and filled with so much information on one topic, one may still be skeptical. Some people may still ask why are the Invisible Children so concerned with helping these young people? Well, I truly believe that if you have a heart, you will be touched and affected by the story. These boys who are taken from their homes no longer have a life. Hearing of boys escaping is rare and it’s sad to think that those who try are often killed. This group of people wants to reach out and make a difference. No one should have to face what these young boys face. Boys who are fourteen years old, fifteen, sometimes as young as six are taken and trained to kill. These boys will do anything to survive with the hope of someday seeing their families again. Many will not, many will be killed much too soon. However, the Invisible Children hope to reunite every last boy with their family and to put an end to the abduction of these boys. 

Losing Sight of God...

“You shall have no other gods before Me.”

               

In today’s day and age, it seems so easy for teenagers to lose sight of God. So many temptations and choices surround us youth and it seems that it may sometimes be easier to turn to them rather than God. Sometimes, teenagers allow superstitious beliefs or magic to give God-like powers to objects, people or places. This can truly affect our relationship with God. We must always keep the first commandment in our hearts. The first commandment states as above meaning that we should only worship God and no one and nothing else. It is important to remember that God is our one and only and we should not lose sight of his love for us. 

Each and every one of us have theological virtues that have been instilled in us which are faith, hope and love. We must each remember that we have these and not forget to have faith in God, have hope in our faith and constantly love God. Being a teenager, things often go wrong. Sometimes things get tough and as a teenager, we aren't always sure where to turn. This is where we must remember our theological values and express them. We need to have faith in God and turn to him. We must ask for guidance and hope that things will get better. Sometimes, we have to remember that God wouldn't give us anything we couldn't handle. And yes, sometimes it seems like God trusts us a little too much. But God is always there and he will help us through everything. We cannot turn to other things for guidance and comfort. Turning to anything other than God is the same as having another God before him. We only have one God who we should trust, love and worship. God is always there and always will be, we just have to always be there for him as well. 

In high schools today, there is so much pressure to be perfect or like everyone around you. This could lead to drinking, sex and drugs. Sometimes, teenagers may even turn to drugs and alcohol in times of sadness and despair. This could be an example of idolatry. Turning to another object for guidance or as a solution is going against God and seeing another object as an object of worship. We must not worship anyone other than our God. He is the great and faithful God that has been there since the beginning. We must not turn away from him and we must rely on him in times of trouble. Alcohol, drugs and sex are not going to solve your problems or make you feel any better. Maybe for a second, but a little while after, you will feel just as bad as you did before. Teenagers today must remember God is the only answer and we must always turn to him. He is our only God and we cannot lose sight of him.  

All around us, we encounter different belief systems other than ours. Even in a catholic school like mine, I encounter people that are not Catholic. Sometimes it may seem tempting to explore these other religions. We may even encounter atheists, people who believe in no God and no religion. But we must remember to stay faithful to God and that he is our one and only God. He will never abandon us so we shall never abandon him. Catholics practice monotheism meaning that we only have one God. This practice should always hold sacred and never be abandon. We have only one God and will only have him for the rest of our lives. We must remain faithful to him and always remind him we are thankful for everything he does for us. 

It is growing increasingly easy for people to forget why we are here and who we have to thank for that. God is our reason for everything. God loves us and we should love him forever. We should never turn away from him, question his doing or deny his existence. God is everywhere and He will always have faith in us. When we lose faith in him, that is the worst thing we could do as Christians. We need to continue to remain faithful to God. We must have no God other than him and worship no one but him. 

The Violent Racists

Racism is an obvious issue that has been around since the very beginning of time. Some people like to see themselves as superior to every other race; others just believe that people are inferior because their beliefs are different. But at what point did it become okay for people to become violent against innocent people due to their color? In the past few years, three black boys of young ages have been brutally killed because they were African American and that appeared as a threat to some white men. How could the color of someone’s skin pose a threat? It’s absolutely disgusting that years after blacks fought for and won equal rights, we still have people on the earth who will quickly take someone else’s life for their skin color.                

A case that many people don’t know about is that of fourteen year old Emmett Till. That name ring a bell? No? Well after this, you won’t forget it. Emmett was in Mississippi visiting family in the year 1955 when he stopped at a corner store to grab some things he needed. As he was leaving, someone reported that he had flirted with a white woman working at the register. This was just reported, no one is actually able to say for sure if he was flirting or if everything was taken out of context. However, two white men kidnapped, brutally beat and killed Emmett. The poor boy was only fourteen, just at the beginning of his teen years. How could someone take the innocent life of a young boy? Reading more into the case, it’s pretty clear that Emmett was killed for his skin color. He was visiting in the south, a very racist area and was killed for something that was just an assumption. Also, his killers were found not guilty because of an all while male jury. What’s even more heart wrenching about the loss of this young boy was the fact his mom left an open casket. This let everyone see the real pain and torture that these white men put onto this young boy. How could someone do something so heartless and disgusting just because of someone’s skin color?

A case that people are more familiar with is the murder of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon was only seventeen years old and was walking alone to his father’s girlfriend’s house, completely UNARMED. He had just stopped at a convenience store for some candy and a drink and was on his way back to the house. However, as he was walking he was shot by a man named George Zimmerman. Zimmerman said that he shot in self defense because Trayvon was wearing a hoodie and appeared to be high. How does someone appear to be high, at night, from a distance? This was a race call on Zimmerman’s part. He believed that Trayvon was a threat to him because of his African American skin color. Trayvon had made no remarks to Zimmerman and had not approached him in any way. If George Zimmerman believed that Martin was a threat because he was walking down the street, he would have shot him in the leg. This would have taken him down while Zimmerman could walk away. However, Zimmerman shot Martin right in the chest and killed him. This is another case of ignorance due to racism. George Zimmerman shot an innocent young boy whose life was still so fresh just because of his skin color. How can you make a call on someone so quickly just because of the color of their skin? How can you point a gun and shoot and kill someone simply because they are black? This society is so messed up.

Another case that shows pure ignorance and racism is the murder case of Jordan Davis. Jordan is a black African American male who was sitting in a parked car with a few of his friends. Nothing threatening was happening inside of the car and no one was looking to harm anyone. The only thing going on in the car was a few friends hanging out and some loud music playing. This loud music and black skin color appeared as a threat to forty-five year old Michael Dunn. He walked up to car and shot Jordan Davis dead. When he was asked why he did it, he said he felt threatened and said that Jordan had pointed a gun at him. However, investigators found absolutely no weapons in Jordan’s car anywhere while they searched. Michael Dunn ignorantly killed an innocent boy because he was African American. How could you walk up to someone car and shoot them simply because you didn't like how loud their music was? Michael had no prior knowledge of who Jordan was and had absolutely no reason to kill him. Dunn did this all out of racist intention. It sickens me that people could be this ignorant.

Overall, to put it in a clean, nice way, today’s society is completely messed up. African Americans fought for their rights for so many years and actually gained them after many years of trial and hardship. They should be able to walk down the sidewalk, talk to a cashier at a store and listen to music in their car without being brutally killed for no reason. All three cases of these boys show that racism is still well and alive today. It has been around and it seems that people will not change their ways and remove it from their life styles. It is a sick and messed up society where people are killed for being black. I believe that something should be really done about this. Someone needs to speak up and out about this issue before more lives are taken. It seems like people are too quick to judge someone because of their skin color. Emmett Till, Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis were all sadly taken from this world way too early. Why? Simply because they were black. The fact that this actually happens is disgusting and needs to stop.