Today's MOZEN: Saving The World

Words: F LoBuono - Photo: Matt Hinshaw/EPA

Travel the world, change lives, save souls. (Note: Results not typical.)
A young idealist heeds the call to radical obedience, gives away all of his belongings and shaking off the fetters of a complacent life, travels halfway around the world. There he discovers, among the poor and the fatherless of West Africa, that he has only surrendered to a new kind of captivity.
There is no doubt that young people today are fully invested in social and human rights issues. They start their own nonprofits, they run their own charities, they raise money for worthy causes. Books on saving the world abound, topping the bestsellers’ lists, fueling the drive to prove not only commitment to the world but devotion to God.

That paragraph comes from the liner notes of the book "Runaway Radical: A Young Man's Reckless Journey To Save The World" by Amy and Jonathan Hollingsworth (Amazon). The description is self-explanatory. Ironically, I had just finished reading the book a few weeks before the death of 26 year-old humanitarian aid worker, Kayla Mueller at the hands of the terror group ISIS. The similarities between the two young people intrigued me. Of course, the circumstances between their situations were somewhat different, but they had one thing most certainly in common: a faith-fueled missionary zeal to help others. Mr. Hollingsworth's ill-fated trip to Africa was sponsored by his local church and if you Google Ms. Mueller, this will pop-up with her photo: American hostage Kayla Mueller shared her strong faith in Jesus Christ in a letter before she was killed after she was captured by the ISIS terrorist group. BREATHEcast

Ms. Mueller had dedicated her life to helping others and did so from her hometown of Prescott, Az. to some of the most dangerous places on the planet. One of those places included Syria, where she was kidnapped and held by ISIS for more than a year before she was killed. The circumstances of exactly how and when she died are not yet known, and may never be. Since her death she has been eulogized as a hero and even a "saint". Anyone who gives their life to help others can certainly be considered those things and more. By all accounts, she was an outstanding young women in every way.

However, her death has filled me with ambivalence. On one hand, I greatly admired her passion and commitment. She certainly practiced what she preached. And, I am a firm believer in this Gandhi quote, "Be the change you would like to see in the world". She lived that ideal. Still, as Mr. Hollingsworth, who was about the same age as Kayla when he first encountered his own travails discovered, all that devotion and all that commitment may not be enough to single-handily change the world. In the case of Mr. Hollingsworth, despite his dedication to the cause of helping others, the political realities of who sent him, and why, crushed him emotionally and spiritually. He was in over his head and he was being used. His intentions were so pure and, yet, his understanding of the situation so naive. In my opinion, Ms. Mueller was in a similar position,. Plus, she exacerbated her condition by putting herself in grave danger. And, that bothers me. Some of these aid organizations, many of them so-called faith based (i.e. Christian), sell these kids on idealism and then puts them in harms way, often ill prepared for the real dangers that they may encounter. It's as if they are saying not to worry, god will protect you. If you do their bidding, you are doing "god's work". What utter nonsense. Mr. Hollingsworth describes how this doctrine is often used to bully young people into doing the bidding of the organization, often to their own detriment.

Mr. Hollingwood is also reported to be a fine, dedicated young man, committed to doing the right things for the right reasons. He actively practiced what he preached on a regular basis for a long time before his disillusionment. He was also fortunate not to be in a situation that was literally life threatening, as was the case with Ms. Muellar. But, I still think that he learned a valuable lesson that's worth sharing; sometimes, less can be more. The smaller things that we do, on a daily, local basis, can often be more effective than attempting to save the whole world. Considering the size and complexity of the place, it's just not realistic. And, it can be a deadly misconception.

Now, from my understanding, Ms. Muellar eventually traveled to Syria of her own accord (and illegally) and was not sent directly by any organization. Therefore, it was a personal decision. As an adult, she was capable of choosing the direction of her own life. In a passionate letter she wrote to her parents nine months into her captivity, see mentioned her continued commitment to alleviate suffering and her unwavering faith in god. Her spirit was not crushed. This is indeed laudable. So is her awesome courage. However, to put herself in that situation, at that time, under those conditions, was just plain foolhardy. Zeal MUST be tempered by reality. The best of intentions, even by the pure of heart, must be balanced by the credo of risk versus reward. Of course, this should not prevent of us from attempting to do good. However, in this case, it was most apparent that the risk was just too great - or, at least it should have been apparent. Ms. Muellar allowed her passion to overwhelm her reason. Considering what she could really do to help compared to what could have happened (and did) should she fall into the wrong hands should have been enough to prevent her from going. And, therein lies my ambivalence. I love that she was willing to live her commitment, but am also saddened that the same commitment caused her to make a VERY poor choice. Young people NEED to understand the full consequence of their actions. It is also the responsibility of the aid organizations that send them to these places to make sure that they understand the risks completely. I fear that in the effort to take advantage of the courage and dedication of these wonderful young people of Faith they blind them to reality, even at the cost of their safety.

This is not a indictment of faith, or to detract from who that wonderful young woman was or what she had accomplished in her tragically short life. Like many others, she used her faith to drive her to do the right things. We need more like her who are committed to non-violence in order to make the world a better place. And, I respect those who use their faith to help.  But, don't be reckless. Understand your "faith" and what it truly requires of you. And don't buy the company line. You don't have to save the whole world. Being a good person and helping where, and when, you can will do just fine. We don't need more martyrs. God already has enough of them.