God Grew Tired of Us: an Essential Lesson in Humanity

Oftentimes, here in America, we are conditioned to believe that the only plights worth noticing are those within our own boarders. School curriculums are all full of The Revolutionary War, The Civil War, and both World Wars; but are sadly lacking when it comes to modern and foreign affairs. The little we are taught, and the little we already know about international turmoil is vastly misunderstood, and often America's potential to influence it is never quite realized. We are all blind, and (for the most part) sheltered from this world of genocide, terror, and war. 

While this innocence is an accomplishment to be praised, it is also a vice to be fixed. Too often do we as Americans take our condition for granted. While we are all blogging and debating about Miley Cyrus's current life choices, thousands upon thousands of refugees are living and dying in squalor while trying to escape the nightmare that they once called home. We complain about our hot water running out, and in the meantime skeletal children are drinking their own urine just to stay alive. 

Now, I'm not saying that I am completely innocent of complaining about "first world problems" but I am saying that after watching Christopher Dillon Quinn's God Grew Tired of   Us, I had a sincere desire to change. Now, I hope that I can convince you to do the same. 

Unlike many documentaries where narration takes up eighty percent of the dialogue, God Grew Tired of Us does an exemplary job of keeping it about the subjects, for the subjects, and in the words of the subjects: being three Dinka men named Jon, Daniel, and Panther. Their stories are raw, unedited, and awe-inspiring. These men are honest about what they've been through, and what they have yet to experience, leaving out no detail. 

They begin with an account of their mass exodus from war-ravaged Sudan, explaining the terror that they faced both there and on their way to safety. Many were separated from their families, with no choice but to carry on or die. After surviving the perilous journey, they find some comfort in the Kakuma, Kenya refugee camp. There they lived as a family of "Lost Boys". 

But the story was only beginning for Jon, Daniel, and Panther as they were selected for a program that relocates groups of "Lost Boys" to the United States. The rest of the film documents their adjustment to life in America, and their concern for those they have left behind. 

God Grew Tired of Us leaves the viewer with a heightened sense of hope rather than the deeper despair that many documentaries give. Jon, Daniel, and Panther convinced me that with their combined efforts (and the added help of you and I) war in Sudan can be ended, families can be reunited, and there will finally be a home for the Lost Boys. 


For more information on how you can help the cause, please visit:

http://www.godgrewtiredofus.com/charities.html


And to see the inspiring story for yourself, please visit:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/294405