‘Overrated’ calls readers to self-reflection

By Ryan, October 1, 2015

 

By Holly Gambrell, Staff Writer//

In the social media age we live in, it’s easy to share our political views, religious beliefs and personal opinions with a click of a button. It’s convenient to let our Twitter followers and Facebook friends know what we think of the world, and easy to see who agrees by how many likes or retweets our posts get. #BlackLivesMatter, #LoveWins and #YesAllWomen can be typed and posted within seconds, each hashtag bringing with it an opinion and view on social justice issues. Spreading the word about issues affecting our nation and world is great, but are we going deeper than just talking about them?
Seattle-based pastor Eugene Cho doesn’t think we are. In “Overrated”, a book that reads like a reflective biography, Cho dares to ask the question, “Are we more in love with the idea of changing the world than actually changing the world?” Pulling from his Christian beliefs, Cho is a fighter for social injustices. He believes that God loves the poor and the broken down. He believes Christians, and all humans for that matter, are called to help those less fortunate. Humans are called to make a difference in the unjust places.
Don’t we all believe that, though? Don’t we all see something wrong with the world and go, “Something needs to be done about this!” And then we proceed to share an article or status about the issue, believing we are bringing “awareness” to light and that we have done our good deed for the day. But rarely do we drop everything and commit ourselves fully to an issue we feel passionate about. Cho knows and understands that wanting to help is easy, but actually helping is difficult. Throughout “Overrated”, Cho painfully and honestly shares his and his family’s journey to creating and establishing One Day’s Wages, a grassroots organization fighting to alleviate extreme global poverty. He discusses how excited and dedicated he was to starting One Day’s Wages, and how he and his wife agreed to donate a year’s salary to the organization. They wanted to lead by example. But then came the hard part. When a year was almost up, they were still short a few hundred thousand dollars. In order to come up with the money, they rented out their house and surf coached for months, cutting out all spending except on necessities. But most of all, they prayed. Although “Overrated” calls its readers to look deep within themselves to question and recognize if they are more in love with the idea of changing the world than actually doing anything to change it, it also calls its reader to reflect spiritually.
“Overrated” is written by a Christian, but is a must-read for people of all religious backgrounds. Cho does not scream at the reader through the pages, “Convert! Convert!” but rather draws on his own faith to explain his motivations and actions behind One Day’s Wages. Cho does not tell the reader that they must be a certain denomination or member of faith to change the world, but simply explains that without his faith in God he probably would not have had the strength to continue on with One Day’s Wages. Cho is not a pastor or author that thinks he is “holier than thou,” but confesses multiple times throughout the chapters of “Overrated” that he is materialistic, self-centered and attached to his iPhone, just like us. He knows his imperfections and is not afraid to admit them. The honesty and rawness within “Overrated” is what grips the reader to the pages. It’s an easy read, but one that makes you look deep within and ask yourself the tough questions. “Am I more in love with the idea of changing the world than actually changing it?” The answer is quite possibly, “Yes.” Either way, Cho brings to light an issue that has been in the world before the Internet existed, but an issue that has been exemplified by social media. “Overrated” breaks down the problem and challenges us all to share less, and to do more.