First Attempt

Well. Here goes nothing. My buddy Nate recently lent me a book entitled The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which I highly recommend. In it, the main character Charlie discusses with his friends after a party about their "place in things." These idealistic and "progressive" young teens discussed their views of cynicism regarding music, politics, and the media. This seemed to resonate with me at this particular juncture in life. I'm 23. I graduated college in early May. And I am oh so proud of my enlightenment up to this point. However, I am growing into the sobering reality that I just have no idea what I'm doing in this life. Once my travel visa clears, I will be moving to South Africa in early September (God willing). Quite simply, I hope to travel there and live for 11 months in order to give some love to people that don't receive very many embraces or meals in a day. However, I'm beginning to realize how unspectacular this is. I am going to South Africa because I have enough money to. There are thousands of recent college graduates in this country that would cherish the opportunity to do what I'm doing, but they're loaded down with college debt. There are thousands more who are doing what they can for the needy without leaving their hometowns. God, forgive us all for making something like social justice fashionable. I am proud to be part of a generation that is awakening to the dire circumstances and needs of others around the world, but I am growing disenchanted with the elitist attitude that accompanies that passion. Real love is not fashionable. I can tell you all how fulfilling it will be to hold an AIDS orphan in my arms, but that would be glamorizing the suffering of someone who doesn't care about my online blog. My friend and professor Craig told us that abstraction is always one step away from murder. I think he meant that if we fail to see the humanity in each person in this world, then it becomes easier to treat each person with less than the dignity that they deserve. I also believe that abstraction allows people to love insincerely. It's hard to believe someone tell me that they love people they've never even seen. I'm thankful to get the chance to know the names of some wonderful people in South Africa, and share my life with them. I'm trying not to love in an abstract way.
My heart is heavy today, but I am learning valuable things from heartache. Maybe all I need is a late night drive with the right music. After all, there's nothing that the road cannot heal.