I have a dear friend who has walked the walk when it comes to helping, serving, and advocating for others. In her spare time she finds ways to advocate for others. Professionally, she is also trained to serve and care for others. She also is a mother to a child with cancer. So she has added that to her plate, not that she or anyone would ever choose cancer. Daily, she advocates for her own child. But she also makes calls and writes letters to politicians on behalf of all families dealing with cancer. She educates her friends on cancer, treatment, and funding. Did I mention that while she is fighting for her daughter she also volunteered as a social worker at Celtic during the Great Flood? She is compassionate, passionate and reasonable. She will take the time to educate and explain.
Last week, as my friend was speaking up on behalf of an injustice, as she often does, a friend of hers said: "why don't you spend your time on something more important, like kids with cancer?"
Yes, read that again. You read it correctly. Sit with that for a moment.
It goes without saying that is likely the most ignorant and careless thing a person could say to my friend.
I am going to let you sit with all of that again. Still in disbelief? I am.
Remember I told you that my friend takes time to educate other people? Or that she provides comfort to other mothers whose kids have cancer?
Childhood cancer, its funding and its treatment is a huge injustice. She is in the trenches fighting. She is extraordinary. If there were ever a quota we needed to fill on fighting injustice I don't think there would ever be a doubt that my friend (or any parent in her situation) had not far exceeded her responsibility.
Except my friend does more. She cared for strangers during the flood. She is educating people on health care. She is speaking out on behalf of the unloved locally and overseas.
As if the original comment to my friend weren't horrible enough; this person hasn't done anything to support my friend whose child has cancer. So she rebuked her for speaking out against social injustice. She told her to care about kids with cancer. Yet she, herself, has not done anything.
Yes, you read that correctly. Yes, I agree, it is insane.
But I think that is where we are now. We rebuke people for taking on a cause or a fight they find worthy. We tell them there are more worthy causes. Yet when it comes to putting our words into action about those "more worthy causes" nothing happens.
I had many friends blast the women who marched last week. The people and the causes were not worthy, in their eyes. Fine. Then they listed more worthy causes, like women in the Middle East. Fine. Now, women in the Middle East are fleeing a war with their children. So, if this is a cause someone feels is more worthy of our attention and energy then I want to challenge those individuals: what are you doing?
We cannot use the injustice of someone else as a reason not to help someone else and then do nothing about anything!
For the record, there isn't an injustice competition. An injustice is an injustice. And it is OK to care about and take action for more than one thing.
