human right vs. privilege
I have been feeling strange the last few weeks. Partly its Matt’s death, partly its the unbelievable amount I’ve gotten myself into since my return, and partly is knowing that less than a month ago, i was residing in a country that reshaped my ideas of human rights vs. privileges.
I met an unbelievable woman on the plane from Uganda to Ethiopia and we chatted the whole flight. She had been visiting family in Uganda but lives in China as a teacher, for about 10 years now. We discussed Awegys school, and my time there. She was shocked that i didn’t have a “readjustment period.” She used to train students from the UK and USA before they went into local schools to teach and she said that the students in her program had 3 semi-sheltered months to readjust to African Life. I think one of my strengths is adaptability but i didn’t realize how impressive it was until she told me.
The impression I made on her allowed her to open up and share her story. When she was a teen, she was abducted from her home and forced into the NRA child solider army. She was forced to live in terrifying and dangerous conditions, and fight a fight she didn’t believe in. After 3 months, she escaped. She walked for weeks with just the nightgown on her back. When she arrived home to the village, her family was skeptical that it was even her.
Here in the more developed world, people are so quick to complain. The house isn’t big enough, the kitchen isn’t new enough, the tv picture isn’t 3D enough. In Uganda we enjoyed each others company, sometimes without electricity, usually without running water, and time was never spent drinking wine out of nice glasses in a kitchen. Life is very different there but overall i felt a sincere sense of gratitude and a determination to try and to learn.
What boggles my mind is that here and at home, even with all these privileges people are still generally unhappy. I’ve come to realize that having electricity isn’t a human right, nor is plumbing, having windows, or even medications. These are all privileges that we’ve been brainwashed to think are our god-given rights. So now that I am back to the land of excess, I guess I am feeling a bit strange that I get to have so much simply because of the piece of land i was born on. When I walk around and see the north shore moms in their active wear with their 2 manicured children glued to iPads, I can’t help but ponder, “have you ever been uncomfortable?”
In a world where the distribution of wealth is disturbing, i find we all need to take a moment and reflect on our gratitude for what we do have. For me today, I am grateful to have a sunny balcony to write on, a toilet that usually works upstairs, and a very nice sofa to sleep on. I am grateful that I don’t have to fear being taken in the night to join an army, and that I am free to roam around the planet as I desire for however long I desire. I am blessed.
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