Humanity - All of Us
Sitting in Tikonko chiefdom, Sierra Leone, I am acutely mindful of the deep connectivity of humanity. We need each other. It is together, and not merely as individuals, that we bear the image of God. The complex social matrix of humanity is ultimately only as strong as its weakest elements. The whole structure is vulnerable to collapse. Indeed it already has major tears within it, Christians call this sin. We call it sin, because we believe it’s not supposed to be this way.
My humanity is inextricably tied to the humanity of every other person on the planet. I may not recognize, feel, or appreciate how my humanity is diminished when those far from me suffer at the hands of injustice, the cruelty of poverty, or the scourge of preventable disease, but it is. Certainly my humanity. My humanity is diminished by the benefit I gain from sweatshop and underpaid workers in countries far from mine and far from mind. When my senses are dulled, lulled to sleep, by material comfort at the expense of others, no matter where they live, my humanity is diminished as I diminish the humanity of others.
Today I visited Bo Children’s Hospital. So many children suffering from malnutrition, anemia, and malaria. Thankfully there are hospitals like this where people can get treatment, but it’s not free and the people are poor, many can’t afford the treatment they need. Thankfully treatment for HIV and malaria are free. As I walked through the hospital I met Famata, her child, Isatu, is on an IV drip because she has a very serious case of malaria. Famata was gracious enough to allow me to take their photograph. This is a good hospital for Sierra Leone and Isatu should make a full recovery.
In full disclosure, I failed to ask Famata for her name or the name of her daughter. Instead I smiled nicely, I told them I was praying for them and I asked if I could take a photo. For the next several hours I lived with my guilt. Names matter; a name provide identity; a name demonstrates personhood; a name says you have value. We all have names, only when someone wants to dehumanize a person do we remove their name. We called the hospital and I learned their names. I failed to give Famata the proper respect her humanity deserved today.
However, when a I say a “good hospital” I mean the quality of care is excellent, however the sometimes run out of medication for various diseases. They do have a small operating theatre where they perform general surgery – appendectomy, gall bladder, hernia etc. But I wouldn’t want to receive stitches here, let alone have surgery performed on this table. I live an hour and half from the world leading Mayo Clinic. The medical industry is a massive for profit industry in the United States, generating billions of dollars in profit and lining the pockets of some very wealthy people. This is all done at the expense of humanity. The forgotten, the overlooked, the “other.” Humanity is diminished in that moment.
Under Africa skies
So much poverty lies
We turn away our eyes
And fail to hear the cries
Open our eyes wide
No longer let us hide
We must stand side by side
And not look down with pride
Lift up humanity. We are one. We are all image bearers of God, so open your eyes and see.
