Tragedies, Statistics and Real People
There is an apocryphal story which was sometimes told in Stalin’s Russia.
‘In Russia,’ the story goes, ‘it was often said that if there is an accident and three people are killed it is a tragedy. Yet if tens of thousands of people are deported or executed, that’s a statistic.’
Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Sudan, Eritrea, Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo. The list, right now, seems endless. Our news feeds are full of horrific news, often presented as statistics. How easily we can become de-sensitised by statistics. We easily overlook the fact that behind every death, every injury is a real person. Therein lies the real tragedy.
Behind every individual number is a personal story. A maelstrom of physical and emotional trauma f or the victim, their family and their community.
As Christ wept over Jerusalem, so must we pray and stand up for nations and cities in their time of need. Christ looked upon the needy crowd and had compassion on them, and in our day so must we. Yet Christ dealt with individuals. He touched, blessed, encouraged and healed real people. And so must we.
Christ didn’t deal with statistics. He loved people for who they were. And so must we.