Kudos to Mr. Clooney

I try at least occasionally to stay in touch with what’s happening outside my small corner of the world. The other night I had a friend over while World News Tonight came on. We weren’t paying much attention, rather we were catching up on our own small world news, when one of the opening clips caught my eye. George Clooney was arrested. What?! What happened?! Not my Hollywood husband!

Yes, that’s right. I frequently refer to Mr. Clooney as my Hollywood husband. Things like age difference, distance, chances of ever meeting & the likelihood of my star struck speechlessness if we did, and basic reality aside…I just know George and I will one day be together saving the world with humanitarianism and compassion. Is that really too much to ask?

Ok, maybe so.

Back in reality and on the evening news, I learned that Mr. Clooney was arrested in Washington D.C. for intentionally crossing a police line at the Sudanese Embassy. You can read the story here. In multiple interviews over the years I have heard Mr. Clooney state his spot on assessment that because of his celebrity he has a voice the world might actually listen to. And he is choosing to use that voice for good. The situation in Sudan is inexplicable and horrific. I am about as ignorant to the details as most of the American public, but I can imagine. After the conversations I’ve had in Haiti, the emails I get from friends in Kenya, what I have seen with my own eyes in
both of those places and the stories & photographs shared with me by a man from Rwanda….I can only imagine. And it makes me shudder.

And so I hope Mr. Clooney is right. I hope his celebrity voice brings change, healing, and wholeness to a people destroyed by war, famine, and corruption. I hope the people in power will not just take notice, but also take action to save the Sudanese from the worst humanitarian crisis our world has ever seen. And I hope more with powerful voices and big hearts will follow suit in support of other countries the rest of us have forgotten.

And fantasy Hollywood crush aside, I very much admire Mr. Clooney. I admire his tenacity and integrity. He’s not just making a show with a onetime donation or the adoption of an adorable foreign child. He is dedicating a portion of his life and his heart to a people who are suffering. He shows a level of love & compassion through his actions we need a lot more of in this world. He said in an interview after posting bail that it was worth the criminal record. Indeed.

So kudos to Mr. Clooney for using his celebrity in a rare and refreshing way for the betterment of our world. May God bless his work and the people of Sudan.