Injustice and the arts

Lately, I've been reflecting on global realities and feeling angry, troubled and thankful all at once. Major cognitive dissonance right there.

Angry that human beings are routinely willing to go to great lengths to debase and destroy the dignity of their fellow man, animals and the environment.

Troubled because ignorance doesn't preclude us from responsibility, as we would like to think. Troubled, because silence is tantamount to complicity.

Thankful for the ways in which people continue to harness the arts to spread awareness and galvanize action around injustices that concern us all. A few examples:

• This play by producer Jehan Aloysius on ragging in Sri Lankan universities

• This comic by Amnesty about the discrimination faced by LGBTIQ people in Sri Lanka

• This novel about the sorrows and hardships faced by an illegal immigrant

• This documentary by Quint on rape culture in Haryana, India

• This episode of the Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj on predatory drug pricing in the U.S.

Of all the stories and messages that one could produce, it is heartening to see those who use their creative gifts to educate and enlighten.

In a never-ending battle against ignorance, greed and cruelty, it's a fresh reminder to live out Romans 12:21: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."