By Courtney Howard
Buffalo, NY – I recently saw "Lord of War," a film based on actual events in which Nicolas Cage plays Yuri Orlov a private weapons dealer who deals primarily in small arms. The move follows Orlov from his first sale of an Uzi in Brooklyn to his eventual dealings with some of the most brutal dictators in the developing world. He seeks out conflict and, weighing the risk against the profit, determines if he wants in. Often, in an effort to keep the conflict going he arms both sides thus increasing the suffering and, in turn, his profit.
A recent report on arms trafficking produced as a collaborative effort between Amnesty International, Oxfam International, and the International Action Network on Small Arms, tells us that of the one hundred fifty wars that occurred between World War II and the mid-90s more than nine out of ten of them took place in the developing world. Nearly half a million men, women, and children around the world are killed by armed violence each year. That is one person every minute. The character of Yuri Orlov reminds us that it is arms dealers like himself that make these conflicts possible in countries that would otherwise struggle to finance such violence. Many have argued that it is the AK-47 and not nuclear weapons that we should fear. Tragically, as the film points out and the aforementioned report confirms, ninety percent of the arms released into the global market come out of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. A council that has been entrusted by the international community to respond to threats on world peace, not cause them.
This powerful message was poignantly delivered and by the end of the movie I was angry and convicted. Sadly, within moments of the film's end jokes were being told by the audience as they exited the theatre in a desperate attempt to leave those feelings of discomfort behind. I fear that a film intended to spur people to action did not have its desired effect. I believe that people choose not to be socially active for a variety of reasons. The problems of the world seem insurmountable and many believe that there is little they can do to help. Others find themselves feeling guilty when they hear of suffering and guilt, I have discovered, is a poor motivator. No one likes to feel guilty and most, including myself, choose to avoid, rather than face, the emotion.
But the reality is we don't need to feel guilty. It is not wrong to live comfortably and seek happiness. In fact, in his book, Ethics for the New Millennium, His Holiness the Dalai Lama reminds us that this is a natural universal human instinct. It is not necessary for us to give up our own happiness to help others. Instead, we must replace our feelings of guilt with active responsibility following a biblical precept that to whom much is given much will be expected. A positive first step in social action is to evaluate the easiest way to become involved. Perhaps it will be to take a few minutes to sign an on-line petition, send an e-letter to a politician, or donate a small amount of money to a relevant charity. It may not seem like much but imagine if each of the more than 209 million adults living in the United States chose to take even one of those steps!
It is time for a revolution to occur in our society but it will not take place in the political arena, nor will it be the result of reform at the United Nations or changes in international policy. It must happen in the hearts of average citizens who decide to no longer give tacit approval to human rights violations. Perhaps the following quote from Margaret Mead has been overused but it is true that we should "[n]ever doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world, indeed it's the only thing that ever has."
Listener-commentator Courtney Howard is a global studies teacher in the Cuba-Rushford Central School District. Click the "listen" icon above to hear the commentary now or use your podcasting software to download it to your computer or iPod.