Who's to blame?

I don't know how many of you have heard but recently in the news there have been reports of increasing violence in South Africa. Apparently there has been a large influx of refugees from Zimbabwe. There are many South Africans who are upset that the refugees are taking jobs away from South Africans, they're upset the Zimbabweans are taking aid that would otherwise go to South Africans. So the Zimbabweans, who left their country because of dire circumstance, because the unemployment rate is over 80% and the political stability of the country is in serious question, these Zimbabweans are now being raped, beaten, killed, and in one instance even being burned alive. All of this simply because they could not survive in their own country and fled seeking just the basic human necessities of food and shelter.

The president of South Africa condemned the violence saying, "We dehumanize ourselves the moment we start thinking of another person as less human than we are simply because they come from another country".

Those are powerful words that we here in the United States would do well to heed. The whole situation in South Africa reminds me of the ongoing tension around immigration here in the United States. Certainly there are many differences, but there are also many more similarities than most of us are comfortable with. People from other countries in dire situations, countries experiencing much poverty and political instability, and seeking the basics of food and shelter come to the United States. We call them illegal aliens rather than refugees and we certainly are not understanding of their situation. We have the same complaints as the South Africans: they are taking our jobs, they are taking our aid and resources that should really be going to our own citizens. And instead of large scale riots and mops, we have government sanctioned walls being constructed all along our borders. We may not be experiencing murderous mobs. But with increasing economic strain in the United States, I wonder, really how far are we from seeing those same types of behaviors in the US?

When xenophobic behavior happens in other countries, we shake our heads, condemn the behavior, and on occasion even speak out about it. But when the same situation occurs here in the United States, we cry out with clenched fists for those looking for help to "Go Home!" These jobs aren't for you, this aide isn't for you! Somehow we have gotten it in our minds that we are more deserving of the jobs and aide because we lucked out and were born here instead of some other country. In essence we dehumanize those who have sought help and safety in our midst.

In both situations our first response is to blame others. We blame those in other countries for not being more tolerant of foreigners. We blame the foreigners in our midst. We blame other governments and our own for not preventing the situation. But very rarely do we recognize the roles we have played that contribute to the situations. How much more aide would be available if more of us lived simply so others could simply live? How many of us support companies that exploit cheap labor in other countries thus perpetuating the poverty of other nations? How many of us consume media and pop culture that encourages us to look at other people as objects or a means to an end?

There are many ways that we each contribute to these systematic problems. But instead of recognizing our role, instead of acknowledging the places we have fallen short, we start by defending ourselves, pointing fingers at other people, and criticizing others. We would do well to follow the example of Daniel. Daniel was a righteous person, he was faithful to God even when it endangered his life. And yet, Daniel recognized that Israel had fallen short of the standards God has set for them. Daniel recognized that Israel had failed to live up to their part of the covenant. So Daniel's response was to pray fervently to God and ask for forgiveness. In his very impassioned prayer in Daniel 9:3-19, Daniel asks for forgiveness for all of Israel, himself included. Daniel does not point fingers or assign blame, instead he acknowledges that as part of the larger community, even Daniel has played a role in their situation and bears part of the shared responsibility.

We too are part of a larger community, and as such bear part of the responsibility for how the community acts. It's a concept quite foreign to our American individualistic spirit but it is part of our biblical heritage. What would happen if we all prayed that God would forgive us for the ways each of us has contributed to the problem? What would the country or even the world looked like if we asked God to help us be part of the solution rather than part of the problem? What would happen if we really meant it?