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INVEST IN ONENESS
The sudden death of Paul Farmer in 2022 was a loss for the human race. This medical anthropologist and physician was once dubbed the "man who would cure the world." Since 1987 his organization, Partners in Health, made the case for universal health care. Farmer's rationale? Poor countries were exploited by rich countries for centuries through systems of slavery, colonialism, and ecological devastation. Justice requires reversing this current with our money, medicine, expertise, and political will.
This distinction is important to digest. Investing in disadvantaged countries is not about being nice, generous, or unusually compassionate. It's the work of justice, and it is owed. We might think of it the way we regard our credit card bills. We took the money as a sort of microloan when we used the card. Now it's time to pay up. VISA doesn't consider our repayment an act of kindness. Centuries of systemic taking must end. It's time to restore what was taken.
Microloans, in fact, are a terrific way to reinvest in struggling economies. Investing in women—the quickest way for a society to be lifted out of poverty—is also a great way to benefit both women and children. But another urgent reason to invest in the poor is to stave off the mass migrations that occur when people aren't secure, financially or socially.
All of this involves a sea change in how we imagine "ours" and "theirs." Through Christ, we recognize that we are all one, and "all things were created through him and for him" (Col. 1-16). We are sent into the world to spread this truth.
—Alice Camille,
reprinted with permission from TrueQuest Communications
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