Living with Eyes Half Open

Who are you to think you know injustice?

This question is seldom posed in real life, but is a constant and guilty reminder of my privileged existence nonetheless. It has the potential to say something like "You've never been to a 3rd world country, you've never volunteered in a homeless shelter, you've never lived in a broken home, so you have nothing to say or contribute to the discussion." It also has the potential to downplay the injustice we see around us daily.

Why are women in the Orthodox church met with benevolent and open sexism? Why do we think that those that don't speak our language proficiently are stupid? Why does my being "white" grant me trust? Why is it okay for a man to be aggressive but not a woman? Why are the more intelligent regarded as better people?

Why are there so many homeless in Oxford? Why are there so many homeless at all?

Why do I get advantages while others do not?

You see, I am met with inequality daily. While it may be more subtle and less extreme in some ways than starving in Africa, AIDS in China, and totalitarianism in Uzbekistan, it's here. It's present in the every conversation I have, every place I go to. Let's not play this game of tit for tat, or who has seen the most injustice, who has the worse "war stories" or war stories. Instead, can we just agree that we and the world need help and any attempt to decrease injustice is a step toward that help?

So who are you to say that you know injustice? You are any person living with eyes at least half open, that's who.