I, along with seemingly everyone else on the internet, took pleasure this past Friday in watching 5-year old Miles Scott, aka Batkid, have his ultimate wish come true, courtesy of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. It was heartening to see so many people giving of their time and resources to bring this boy's dream to life.
But at the same time (and I sense that I'm probably in the slim minority here), I also wondered if the intentions of the foundation aren't somewhat misguided. There is no question that they do good work, but maybe it's the wrong kind of good work to be doing considering the state of the world today.
I say this because as I teared up while watching the video, a little voice in the back of my mind was asking, "What about all of the other Batkids?" And by that I mean, what about the multitude of sick kids in the world who can't even imagine what their wish might be, let alone consider that it might someday come true?
If the Make-a-Wish Foundation can only grant a handful of wishes, should they be granting them at all? Would the money they raise be better used for the many, and not the few?
I'm not sure, myself. Just as I'm not sure that the crazed media circus that surrounded Miles on Friday really had a positive impact on his life. What I saw was a swarm of photographers ignoring the pleas of police to "keep back," all jostling for just the right position to take the shots that would make the most money. Their demand for the perfect photo op certainly didn't benefit Miles.
And did it really make a difference that hundreds of strangers came out to watch the event? Would there have been such a buzz if the boy's dream hadn't been to be a Hollywood icon for a day? Probably not. And what if the call that went out on social media was to volunteer at a hospital rather than to stand around and cheer? Would as many people have shown up? Of course not.
Meanwhile, there are sick kids the world over who may not live to see another day; children in the Philippines have lost their homes and their families, and hungry children are living in poverty in far too many places, including the United States.
Rather than focusing all of our attention on one extravagant wish, shouldn't we first concentrate on meeting the most basic of needs for all? There are millions of Batkids out there, and they ALL deserve our love and attention.
Sarah xoxo
But at the same time (and I sense that I'm probably in the slim minority here), I also wondered if the intentions of the foundation aren't somewhat misguided. There is no question that they do good work, but maybe it's the wrong kind of good work to be doing considering the state of the world today.
I say this because as I teared up while watching the video, a little voice in the back of my mind was asking, "What about all of the other Batkids?" And by that I mean, what about the multitude of sick kids in the world who can't even imagine what their wish might be, let alone consider that it might someday come true?
If the Make-a-Wish Foundation can only grant a handful of wishes, should they be granting them at all? Would the money they raise be better used for the many, and not the few?
I'm not sure, myself. Just as I'm not sure that the crazed media circus that surrounded Miles on Friday really had a positive impact on his life. What I saw was a swarm of photographers ignoring the pleas of police to "keep back," all jostling for just the right position to take the shots that would make the most money. Their demand for the perfect photo op certainly didn't benefit Miles.
And did it really make a difference that hundreds of strangers came out to watch the event? Would there have been such a buzz if the boy's dream hadn't been to be a Hollywood icon for a day? Probably not. And what if the call that went out on social media was to volunteer at a hospital rather than to stand around and cheer? Would as many people have shown up? Of course not.
Meanwhile, there are sick kids the world over who may not live to see another day; children in the Philippines have lost their homes and their families, and hungry children are living in poverty in far too many places, including the United States.
Rather than focusing all of our attention on one extravagant wish, shouldn't we first concentrate on meeting the most basic of needs for all? There are millions of Batkids out there, and they ALL deserve our love and attention.
Sarah xoxo