My Conundrum of a Cause...

I'm finding myself hesitant to actually come out and tell people the exact nature of what it is I'm running for. I watch the video about Lisa Shannon and Generose every so often (http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/02/03/opinion/1247466865007/an-american-in-congo.html). It can be hard to watch. I've seen people turn away when watching it. Its a fascinating phenomenon if you really think about it. And I'm not even coming from a "bleeding heart - save the children" place. I'm talking about what is just plain human. The shock and the horror are too much to digest at first. So we turn away which in the end results in a decision (by default) not to do anything to help. Clearly we don't approve of what we see, yet we do nothing. No one with any kind of a decent upbringing (or even not-so-decent for that matter) can begin to fathom what makes people behave the way these "soldiers" do. It is such a contrast to the way I comprehend human existence. I'm human. I've been enraged. I've hated people. I've felt contempt for women. I've experienced all kinds of different "inappropriate" and unpleasant emotions. I would go so far to say that this is normal. Maybe we don't always discuss these feelings but I don't think its at all out of line to say that most, if not all of us have had them... But there is nothing I can even begin to comprehend that would make someone behave this way. Putting aside the obvious victims (the women and children)... What happened to the perpetrators? They learn to detach and treat their victims like objects. It takes some courage not to turn away from the images that have come from Congo. And once you don't turn away you realize that you have no choice but to act. That is scary and can mess up your idea of who you are. I fully understand Lisa Shannon's reasoning behind leaving her life in the states and going to Congo to help. Maybe it is beyond courageous. But maybe its just an example of someone who had the courage not to turn away and to simply make an attempt to improve the world that she observes. I saw a piece on her yesterday that said she's raised over $700,000. Amazing and inspirational. I don't think we should all pack up and leave for Congo. But I do think we should make some kind of effort to facilitate change.