“Doom to you who legislate evil, who make laws that make victims—laws that make misery for the poor, that rob my destitute people of dignity...” (Isaiah 10:1-2 MSG)
What do you do in the face of injustice?
My response thus far has been predictable: I feel upset for a few days, I pray that God will take care of it, and I go about my life. After all, I am not racist; I am not the perpetrator of abuse. I do not oppress, discriminate, or deny justice to the needy. Actually, I do not do anything. I see myself as neutral and powerless against injustice. I react...but I do not act.
Inaction feeds injustice; it is not neutral. It emboldens the oppressors while draining the dignity of the defenseless. It is inhumane--lacking in compassion for the suffering and distressed. If we saw someone kneeling on the neck of a dog, or chasing it in a pickup truck and killing it with a shotgun, we would immediately enact laws against this sort of behavior. Yet, we are unable to extend the same level of empathy for certain segments of humanity.
Anyone who speaks up or acts up against injustice is guaranteed to be a target of animosity. It is agitating--shining a spotlight on our own biases and that of society. It is disruptive--to our own perspectives, as well as to those around us who are complacent. It is inconvenient, unsettling, and disturbing to the order of established systems. Action in the face of injustice requires discomfort...for uneasiness is a precursor to change.
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