Although I haven’t done the research others have been able to, I realize how awful this whole scenario is but figure everyone has been sharing an opinion of this stunt so I would blanket the world with mine today.
Honestly, I fell hook line and little boy into the video. Not only was it shared on Facebook first (that I saw) by a trusted advisor of mine who I look up to (and still do, as hey, I shared it too) but it was a kind and loving father and his adoring son. As a new-ish mom myself of course I saw my William and my husband as the characters and was blinded by all else.
I immediately shared after almost weeping by the end of the video. Feeling empowered to blanket the world with awareness (although I had no desire to purchase the kit) and set things right. I’m just now struggling with what is right and what I can do about it.
Kony is just one example of what is wrong with the world. Apparently, a lot of people think Invisible Children is another.
What all this hype did, however, is make innocent people realize their is corruption in the world – either through governments or people trying to pull at our heart strings and doing it so well and easily. There are invisible children in this world, in our own community and this video made us talk about it like Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code had as thinking religion. Do I compare Jason Russell, the director and essentially the man behind the video to Dan Brown – absolutely not as one was portrayed and declared as fiction while the other as the absolute truth.
Therein lies my frustration as I know there are three sides to every truth – what you believe, what they believe and what is. And where I am today is not anywhere close to where I was yesterday or my almost 30 years before today. So where do I stand? Very good question but I do know I’ll help every invisible child I can through awareness and all I have left.
What are you doing on this day of April 20, 2012?
Thanks for reading and thinking,
Sarah Butland
author of Sending You Sammy
