A good dose of perspective...

It’s a little after 5:00 AM. I’ve been up since 3:30 and sleep is escaping me. I guess that’s the price I pay for taking a six hour nap, staying up for two hours, and going to bed at 9:00 PM. Ugh! Jetlag! Oh well.

Being as tired as I am from the exhausting trip home (being awake for 48 straights hours and on a plane for about 24 of those tends to affect you in ways you can't imagine unless you've experienced it), I still haven’t had time to process a lot of what I experienced in MM. Truthfully, I think it will take weeks and even months to fully process it. There are a few things on the top of my mind, though, and one is about perspective.

That’s what I have received over the past couple of weeks… a much needed dose of perspective (and several much needed doses of Doxycycline, but that’s just a preventative measure!) One of the thoughts that I’m been ruminating on over the last several days is about fairness. We are so quick to think “That’s not fair” any time something doesn’t go our way or any time someone has something we don’t have. We think somehow we have a right to virtually anything we can dream of, and that if we don’t have it, we are being shortchanged.

When I was in MM, though, I quickly noticed that almost nothing was fair for me. Time and time again I found myself flat out angry over how unfair things were for me. There were so many times when I’ve wanted to shout out, “THAT ISN’T FAIR!” And I would have been justified in doing so, becuase the truth is, a lot of things weren’t fair for me. The difference, though, is that I typically found myself on the opposite side of the fairness equation from where I normally am when I feel this since of injustice. Since I landed in MM, I’ve been thinking…

• It’s not fair that I got to eat these incredible, filling meals with meat, vegetables, rice, soup, and about half the time, ice cream for dessert. I have more food than I can eat while many people in MM and many other countries don’t. Most are happy to have a little white rice to fill their stomachs... for breakfast, lunch, and dinner... if they are lucky. I’m embarrassed by how much I take that for granted.
• It’s not fair that I have so many clothes that I can think about being color coordinated and somewhat in style (I realize my sense of style is subjective. Make of it what you will!) while many people in the world, and in MM, are simply happy to have something to wear.
• It’s not fair that I spent more on souvenirs (reasoning that as inexpensive as things are, how could I not get one more item) than the average MM worker makes in a month.
• It’s not fair that simply happening to be born in one country as opposed to another is the biggest deciding factor on your chance of having a job and making a livable wage, the quality of healthcare you receive, your chances of dying of an easily-preventable disease, your chances of experiencing true hunger, and so many other really important things. Poor people don't tend to give a crap about half the things that consume the thoughts of most of the people reading this blog (all six of you) myself included.

There are so many things that simply aren’t fair, and to be honest, I’m struggling to make sense of it. If I put together every last dollar I have to allow all of the amazing, humble, generous, full-of-life, kids and adults I saw everyday on my trip to enjoy a good meal, it would be a nice gesture, but would anything really be gained in the long run? Would it do anything at all to reduce poverty or end hunger on a bigger scale? If I gave away all of my clothes, I’m sure those who received them would be appreciative, what would anything be gained long term? Would the fairness equation be any more balanced?

 

The more I think about it, I guess maybe the key is sustainability. Clearly, food and clothing and many other needs must be met in the short term. I guess that is where foreign aid from governments as well as churches and other non-profits comes into play. Along with that aid, though, there must be a plan to work towards sustainability apart from the aid. That is where so many of us who feel passionate about helping others fail. We want to drop in and have an experience, do a little here and there, or throw money at a problem we see, but we often stop short of true investment in people and/or projects, so things quickly go back to how they were before.  

 

One of the things that most excites me about the work that is going on in MM through the network I worked with, though, is that even as they meet the very real and critical short-term needs, they are also working towards long-term sustainability. The short term needs are being met, but with long-term bigger picture needs in mind. From an outsiders point of view, it seems like some great things are happening, too! Oh, and as those humanitarian needs are being met, the Church is growing as well… and that is truly something to be excited about.

 

Well, it's 5:47 AM. I think it's time for a nap!