“Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other’s welfare, social justice can never be attained.”
This quote is by Helen Keller, one of several people whose words of wisdom I have shared in a number of posts in my blog since I started writing it a few years ago. She was a woman whose words and accomplishments showed compassion, the ability to overcome adversity, courage, and many other admirable qualities in addition to wisdom.
In the past as well as presently, much has been written and spoken about social justice. I’m thankful for the progress that has been made, such as educational and career opportunities being more available to many people than they were in the past when race, ethnicity, gender, disability, age, and other characteristics prevented people from having those opportunities. This progress has been possible thanks to a great many people recognizing that racism and other forms of prejudice are wrong and immoral. In recognizing this, they had the sense of responsibility for each other’s welfare to which Keller refers.
It’s sad that there are people who do not have that sense of responsibility. Who, rather than caring about other people, think only about themselves or only about themselves and the groups to which they belong. It’s also sad that some of the progress that has been made is being undermined, because certain people in power do not recognize the importance of caring about others’ welfare. And it‘s a shame that some of the people who do not care about helping others consider themselves to be Christians when their words and actions directly contradict the teachings of Jesus.
In addition to supporting social justice causes that have as their mission to decrease racism and other forms of prejudice, each of us can do our part to live in a way that shows that we care about other people. By treating others with respect, by giving our full attention when others are talking to us, by being nonjudgmental, and by helping others, we demonstrate our belief in the importance of caring about each other’s well-being. And in so doing, we also endeavor to live as Jesus taught us to live.