“To try and stop war by placing before men’s eyes the terrible suffering involved will never succeed, because men are willing (in their thoughts and imaginations at least) to face any kind of suffering when motivated by noble aims like the vague and tremendous concept of freedom…” (Dorothy Day)

How do you get people to change their perspectives on social issues? According to Day, concern for the suffering of others won't do it because ideology is a stronger force than empathy. People are willing to excuse—or at least justify—a great many things in the pursuit of their so-called greater good. So what can actually bring about change?

For Day, a religious conversion is the only way. That's of course not to say that all religious people are concerned with the suffering of others, especially since so much of her time was spent trying to push the Catholic Church on these issues. But, I think Day is hitting on something important that I want to look at from two angles.

First, one way to change someone's ideology is an even stronger ideology. This is why religion can be such a powerful tool for appeal. A higher power can override our own ideals. It can work, but it doesn't always end well. Arguments around how to interpret the 'wishes' of the higher power can just create the same sort of entrenched viewpoints—and even further justify human suffering for divine good. This sort of religious appeal can also remain purely intellectual, in "thoughts and imaginations" as Day put it. This isn't always a a bad thing. I do think you can 'fake it till you make it' so-to-speak when it comes to selfless behaviour. Do good works and (hopefully) you will be changed internally as well.

But let's shift to the second angle, which is where I think Day would ultimately land in all of this. That is that real change, the sort that can be stronger than ideology, can only come from genuine encounter. For Day this means an encounter with the crucified Christ. Importantly, this is not an encounter in an intellectual sense or in some immaterial transcendent way, rather it is an encounter that only comes from seeing Christ in the suffering of others.

“Christ is being martyred today in Vietnam, in Santo Domingo, and in all places where men are taking to the sword in this world crisis. He will be crucified to the end of time. He is with us in His humanity until the end of time.”

Day lived and worked on the margins. She spent her days amongst the poor and sick. She frequently travelled and met with others struggling for justice—migrant workers, racialized communities, people whose daily lives were threatened by war and conquest. This is where she encountered Christ. And it's where she would say the Church belongs lest its ideologies remain purely in "thoughts and imaginations."