The Omnibus

Issue date: 5/6/04 Section: The Forum

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Those who know me best can always be certain when I am passionate about something. To discover my convictions or discern what is on my heart, one has to look no further than my sleeve where I tend to display such things. Therefore, any person who has spent even the smallest amount of time with me in the past two years knows one of my greatest passions is educating people about the epidemic of AIDS in the world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

A woman suffering from AIDS is cared for by workers at the TASO Center in Kampala, Uganda.

I see the current AIDS crisis as our generation's great opportunity to leave its mark on the world. We must make this issue a high priority and bring it to the forefront of our minds as it was decades ago.

In American society, we heard a lot about AIDS in the late 1980s and early 1990s. We heard about people dying from some rare condition and we become curious. Celebrities like Ervin "Magic" Johnson and Freddie Mercury became ill and we felt a personal connection.

Other public figures began to rally support for the cause and we decided to subscribe to their ways of thought and attach ourselves to the struggle. We wore red ribbons and gave money to support research and spread awareness.

Then, almost as quickly as AIDS entered our consciousness, it was gone. In the United States, reports of the virus decreased. "Safer" sex was being practiced and we felt confident about winning the war on AIDS.

What those in our country failed to realize, however, was that we took a step forward in the battle being fought on our turf, but greater battles were being lost worldwide.

Today, we see how numerous the casualties are. Approximately 42 million people worldwide are living with HIV / AIDS. Of this number, close to 27 million are in Africa. In four African countries, more than 30 percent of the adult population is infected with the AIDS virus, leading to a crippling of the work force and an orphaning of Africa's children. In countries such as China and Russia, AIDS is spreading at an alarming rate as these countries have discovered more "liberating" sexual practices.

While these figures and others like them abound, it would be futile to throw out statistics and expect a response from our generation. We are a generation of children who were raised on statistics and have been conditioned to the point of losing our sensitivity to them.

These figures should make our jaws drop, but what should be even more important is our consideration of the earthly ministry of Christ. Jesus encouraged protection of the sick, the helpless and the child, and if we consider ourselves agents of his ministry until his return, we must take the problem with AIDS seriously.

Our generation tends to align itself with causes very easily. We seem to take a "save the world or bust" mentality and approach life with only one of two responses: either a full-fledged enthusiasm or a deep apathy. We long to leave our world different than it was before we arrived, and I would dare suggest our opportunity to do so lies with how we respond to AIDS.

The generations before us seized their opportunity to change the world. Our grandparents liberated the globe from crippling terror by winning World War II. Our parents brought about a change in how we view civil rights. This is our time and AIDS is our chance.

At this stage in our lives, it is natural, after having been confronted with a global issue, to wonder what we are able to do about it. We have limited resources and limited connections to those who affect policy in the world.

My challenge to you is to educate yourself about happenings on a global level. Begin to read about countries being affected by AIDS, and about what specific social, economic, and political issues are serving as barriers to their relief from this problem.

Then, after acquiring knowledge, you will be better equipped to look for ways to get involved.

One such resource for college students is Blood:Water Mission, an organization created by the band Jars of Clay to educate college students about issues concerning AIDS and provide them with opportunities to respond. Check out the information on their Web site at www.bloodwatermission.org and see how you can become involved.

Other excellent Internet resources to begin learning about AIDS-related issues include www.worldvision.org, www.avert.org, www.fightglobalaids.org, and www.data.org.

I have little time left at Southwest Baptist University as I will be graduating in a few weeks. I will leave with a heart for AIDS and dreams of how I can change this situation. My prayer for students is that God will bring such a heart to them. May we find ourselves faithful and seize our chance to change the world.

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