I 'm about to meet Bono, the singer for the world-famous band U2, and I can't help but think that I'm going to flub it somehow. Not only that, I'm supposed to introduce who I am to the man who's just won four Grammys and who has been featured on the cover of TIME in the past week, as if that will somehow justify my presence for him and the others gathered there. To top it all off, I messed up my nametag. It looks like a 4-year-old wrote it. I'm still not sure if it's okay for me to even be there.
Too late, my turn.
I look Bono right in the eyes: "My name is Seth Wispelwey, I'm a student at the University of Virginia." He nods, flashing a brief smile. Wow.
Bono's the one who requested the meeting I'm in now. We're in the hearing room of the Hart Senate Office Building and it's Tuesday afternoon during Spring Break. All told there are about 30 people in the room. Most are evangelical Christian leaders from organizations such as World Vision, World Harvest and National Association of Evangelicals. The rest are assorted VIPs from Capitol Hill, the White House and the World Bank.
I'm there because by fate I happened to be with my friend in Northern Virginia when we bumped into his dad, who works on Capitol Hill, and he informed our unbelieving ears that he was meeting with Bono that day. All he knew at that time was that the meeting was tied into Bono's efforts in recent years to eradicate Third World debt, as well as his desire to get his non-profit organization DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade for Africa) off the ground.
Half joking and half-hopeful, we asked my friend's dad if we could come along to the meeting. We were told we could try and that was it. No time was wasted getting our wrinkled blazers from our luggage.
When we walked up to the building, the scene was something akin to a "boy band" appearing on TRL. A high school tour group on their way out apparently just had witnessed Bono's entrance. We just played dumb and went through the metal detector - simple.
Once inside, we made our way to the room and sat down, trying to look inconspicuous while hearing more about the discussion set to take place.
Bono's visits to Washington, D.C. are regular occurrences as he increases pressure on the conservative leadership to actually care about the crisis of poverty and AIDS in Africa. His work has gone a long way in showing these leaders how these problems affect the situation in the entire world now and in the future.
Bono is more of a lobbyist, not another fundraising celebrity activist. He's very knowledgeable on the issues he's raising and therefore successfully shuns the characterization of "just another rock star with mist in his eyes and flowers in his hair," as he put it.
DATA was the main platform for his latest round of meetings in the Capitol. Bono's goal for this specific gathering was to discuss what the church's role should be in the midst of these very real problems that he dubbed the "defining crisis of the 21st century."
Bono started by outlining the beginning of his involvement with Jubilee 2000 (now Drop the Debt), which is based on the Biblical principle of caring for the least and poorest in this world. Bono admitted that while passionate about the issue for a long time, it wasn't until he got involved with the Drop the Debt campaign that he felt adequately equipped to achieve real results fighting poverty.
He mentioned how this new mentality helped him narrow his focus to Africa, where poverty and the AIDS pandemic are directly connected with greater problems ranging from terrorism to lack of foreign aid. With DATA, Bono has a specific game plan, but knows also the daunting task he's placed before himself.
His goal is to have everyone from politicians to evangelical leaders to ordinary churchgoers aware of and caring for the plight of many in Africa, as well as the disadvantaged and suffering who often are right around the corner in the United States. He was quick to point out too that different approaches are needed in getting different people to wake up and notice the real dilemmas.
"It's time to defend the idea of America," he said. "America is perceived as arrogant and greedy throughout the world, and it's twiddling its thumbs in the eyes of so many. The world is going up in flames, and we're standing around with watering cans."
Bono said that America is seen either as the great aggressor or simply uncaring by the developing world, when it claims to support equal rights and liberty for all.
"Millions of lives are being lost for the stupidest of reasons: money. And not even very much money," Bono said. "AIDS drugs are red, white and blue."
Yet, it's often as hard to provide the people with such simple aid as it is getting important people to realize that it is in their best interest to do so. There are legitimate concerns that money given would be wasted or misused. Bono argued, however, that it's money the United States has and it would be well worth the time to make sure it's used correctly.
Bono said he knows he needs to use a pragmatic argument to win over politicians who would otherwise turn the other way, thinking the issue does not affect Americans.
"There are 12 more potential Afghanistans in Africa," Bono said about why the United States must get involved.
He then turned his focus to show how dealing with these issues applied specifically to the church leaders gathered there.
"People's lives [in Africa and elsewhere] need an understanding of love, and they're not seeing it," Bono said. "Love needs actions. I have faith that Jesus Christ is my savior. However, many people have lost their trust in the church and I'm one of them."
Bono pointed out that over 2,000 verses in the Bible pertain to the poor. He reminded those gathered that the core message of the Gospel, after personal redemption through grace, is to then reach in and help pull others out of the darkness.
He remarked that it was fine for people to sing their hymns on Sunday and feel good about themselves, but awareness and empathy with the outside world are required for it to mean anything.
"All are equal in God's eyes, but it's a fallen world, and it's time for the church to stand up and see that straight on and fight for equality," Bono said. "The church needs to show it cares and be the leader" in supporting the issues confronted by DATA.
If Jesus were here now, Bono said, he "would plant his church in the heart of Africa. AIDS is today's leprosy."
Once Bono finished speaking, there was time for questions and discussion. A significant portion of this time was spent discussing youth, since Bono and most there were in agreement that it is the college generation that will be called upon and forced to combat these crises of AIDS and poverty. The most potent challenge raised asked how it might be possible to get youth to care in today's desensitizing "info-glut" culture.
It is a tough question.
Bono tried to shed a little light for us. It starts by informing oneself and realizing there is a hurting world around us, whether it's in Africa or in Charlottesville, that could use an open ear and a helping hand.
Starting to empathizeand discover what really might matter in life now is what will equip us for the long road ahead.
Bono has realistically and optimistically put it this way.
"It's hard to believe," he said. "When you look at the way the world is, it's really hard to believe. But I am a believer"
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