I’ve Become What I Used to Detest
Those in my community walk and take super-cramped public transportation…
I move around in a comfortable air-conditioned 4-wheel drive.
Most have to fetch water and return home with buckets…
I always have water.
Having clean clothes each day is a luxury many don’t have, but wish they did. Oh how Haitians love to look their best and to smell good…
Having daily clean clothes options is a given for me.
Most don’t have access to Internet…
I’m on Internet throughout every day regardless of where I am.
Typing and printing a report or resume or completing an online form is a major feat for most…
I do it without thinking about it.
Most are subject to daily blackouts…
I have electricity 24/7.
Many go long periods without food and deal with hunger…
I eat when I want.
Most have pit latrines, many don’t even have their own latrine and need to go in public or use a plastic bag in their shack and have to discard it…
I have options of flush toilets.
Most have a hard time paying school fees for their kids for an education they know is not great…
My kids’ school fees are always paid on time and they’re getting a great education.
Many don’t have access to help from police if they’ve been violated…
I have police help when I need it.
Our trash proves that we regularly enjoy imported foods…
I know when I’m buying it, the cashier can’t afford it.
While millions of Haitians have cell phones, most manage their minutes with utmost care…
I talk on the phone as much as I want.
A birthday cake or a holiday dinner isn’t affordable for most in my community…
I’m blessed to get to celebrate holidays and special events with abundance.
I dare not mention differences in healthcare.
The life I live is completely different from the lives of those I strive to help.
I’ve become what I used to detest.
For many years I judged harshly people who live like I do now, when my daily life included:
— walking and getting around on public transportation,
— living in a two-room cement block house with no electricity,
— using a pit latrine with no roof,
— bathing from buckets and drinking the water the locals drank,
— eating from street vendors who serve poor workers.
I’ve become what I used to detest: a person living in abundance with little resemblance of the lives of the people he’s trying to help.
So what do I do about this? I need to strive to:
— be aware, as fully as possible, of how different my life is, from the majority of those around me,
— understand and be compassionate of those whose lives are much harder and the impact it can have on their ability to get things done,
— accept what IS, embrace my responsibilities as a husband and father,
— celebrate all the additional things I can accomplish toward improving lives of others — things that I never previously accomplished—thanks to a solid infrastructure and daily joy that comes with a beautiful marriage and family relations,
— be humble and not judge,
— give thanks constantly,
— keep on keeping on as I cling to a vision of developing people, schools, enterprises and communities that will help change a nation.
