40. Awareness

Tonight our church screened a documentary film about the rampant human trafficking that exists in the world today.

The film was--I'm sad to say--not very well done* (high on production value and shameless self-promotion, very little in the way of narrative, pacing, focus, and overall cohesion), but the subject matter was powerful enough to transcend the weak filmmaking. In the end, the film succeeded in its primary goal: to raise awareness about the sex-and labor-slave trafficking industries, including those operating right underneath our noses here in the good ol' US of A.

I came out of the screening mindful of several things to be grateful for.

As I alluded to in my bad haiku from a few nights back, I am incredibly, inexplicably fortunate to have been born into a pretty enviable set of circumstances, when compared to others throughout the world and throughout history. Seeing the scenes of young children forced to work as soldiers, slaves, or prostitutes--and knowing that I will never, ever know anything remotely similar to those horrific life experiences--made me remember just what an incredibly favorable hand I have been dealt.

I'm grateful, too, that there are people who--having been dealt the same hand as I--are actively working to bring an end to human-trafficking, including an inspiring group of such people within my church. I'm glad they created the opportunity for me and many others to see a film like this; it certainly opened my eyes, whereas before I didn't really think slavery was all that big of a deal anymore. (Turns out, it's even worse now than it was in the 19th century.) As I drove home tonight, I started to think about the potential human trafficking that takes place in my neighborhood; I started to consider my patterns of consumption (food, clothing, electronics, etc), and wondered how much these patterns cause me to unknowingly contribute to the misery of others.

Not that any of this can or will change overnight, but I'm thankful for having been made aware of this tragic issue, and now knowing about it, can decide what I should do in my own sphere of influence to help put an end to human trafficking.

As G.I. Joe used to say, "Now you know, and knowing is half the battle."


*I will say that--among the numerous interludes featuring performances by well-known rock bands (as well as...the director of the film)--I was blown away by a rendition of Radiohead's "Exit Music for a Film" as performed by members of Nickel Creek.