I was reading a news item today that made me pause ... The story is that an AIDS fund (and awareness) raiser held in London Ontario was to have Stephen Lewis in attendance, but due to illness he was unable to attend the event. The kicker in the article is that people actually wanted their money back ...Now, if it was a concert or a play and the lead singer or actor was unable to attend I could see asking for a refund on the ticket - but we're talking about a speaking event to raise money and awareness in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Just because Mr Lewis couldn't be there takes almost nothing away from the event itself ... his words are to be found in many places including his amazing book "Race against Time" They are words that stand as a clarion call to action by those who care not only about Africa, but our entire planet.
Lewis has become a leading voice in the global struggle against this scourge ... but NONE of this is about his celebrity status. It's about the issue of fighting HIV/AIDS. Even his appearance before crowds is about the ISSUE itself, not about his presence.
Somewhere along the line it would seem that about 136 ticket holders to the event in London lost sight of that ... not knowing any of them personally I can only hypothesis that they wanted to be able to tell their friends that they had HEARD Stephen Lewis, rather than share the content of his message ... and THAT is just sad.
In the fight against HIV/AIDS it is not about celebrities and moving with the right people and being seen at the right events, it's about being part of the solution and helping with the use of our time, our money and out commitment ... I hope the organizers of the event find themselves overwhelmed by the support of people who not only understand that, but are actively living it.
It's the one hope humanity has to save itself ...
1 comment:
Oh my gosh. Sounds like they are sorry they went to the trouble.
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