I think one of the biggest things that impacted me, or that I learned or became, whatever; is that Africa became real to me. Its people had a face, a name, and became more than an anonymous mortality statistic reported once again in Newsweek.
Let's face it, if we're being honest with ourselves, most of us feel a little sorrow when we hear about the tragedies in Africa, but for the most part, it doesn't exactly impact us. For to many of us, as much as we hate this ideology, Africans are just masses of faceless poor people, sharing the same earth, yes, but living in a different world. I'm not blaming anyone for thinking like this - we live thousands of miles away. But going there, people became real, they became our friends.
Not fully, I'll acknowledge, I still glaze over slightly when I hear about tragedies in Africa, dismissing them as "oh, it's Africa." My compassion is far from unfiltered. But it's been affected, it's been dented and my wall of apathy has definitely been bruised. Coming back to America, I've been fighting the wall's reconstruction, not wanting it to be built up again by stones of comfort and distraction.
And hopefully it won't be. For although I most definitely feel completely helpless in light of Africa's need, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. So who knows what kind of fire a little compassion can spark.
9 comments:
The main culprit to blame would be be mass media. Instead of reporting on mass tragedies world-wide, we treat small ones here in the states with much more ferocity. 1000 people die in genocide in Rwanada? A blurb on page 4. 2 people get injured in Wisconsin? Front page news.
It is sad. Are american lives worth more? No.
Colleen, awesome post! I spent 2 weeks in India and had a similar experience. Completely life changing.
Another amazing thing is the experience of going to a completely different society and coming back to your own. The contrast points out the differences in the two and gave me anyway, a whole different prospective on the environment I live in. For example, the average person in India is much happier than the average American though they work for less than a dollar a day. Crazy...
Anyway, my main point of posting is to tell you that two of your favorite things had a merger while you were gone and I saved the link for you so you wouldn't miss out.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/08/01/splashcast-bringing-sexy-back-to-facebook/
Brett -
I think that may be true to some extent, but I don't think it's solely an American thing. People are always cheifly concerned with what directly effects themselves before anything else. It's the condition of man. Of course we're going to hear about what happens in America first, because that's where we live. News is always reported in an order of relevance, and that's what is most relevant for us.
In other countries, it's the exact same way. I don't think it's fair to imply that we as Americans are worse people, because all people are the same in this matter.
Yes. I would agree. I just know the U.S. because it is really the only country I've lived in.
I just never understood why if something happens far away it isn't as bad then if it happend close.
I guess i didn't intend for it to be soley an american thing. I just wish we would consider the rest of the world relevent too.
I agree with you. I guess it's just easier to see people as people when you've met them or know people like them. That's why it's so good to travel and get to know people outside of your bubble. :)
like i did, good job me!
JUST KIDDING.
Oh and Dave - couldn't be more excited, facebook and Justin Timberlake, definitely two of my favorite inventions of the past ten years... oh and do I need to mention that I taught our congolese interpretor the phrase "I'm bringing sexy back." Amazing, just imagine it w/ a Africa accent.
Colleen. People aren't inventions...haha...
even so...JT is clearly more then 10 years old...
God invented them Brett. God is the great inventor
i think you're learning more than just one thing here - and that is to start seeing people for people. you are guilty of what so many of us have been guilty of - which is to lump groups of people together when they are all so very different. continue to move away from considering all africans to be the same (just masses of faceless poor people) and start shifting them into a category that recognizes each one as a unique individual. not all africans are the same. some are poor. some middle class. and others wealthy. just like here in the united states. each country in africa is very different. each tribe. each person. remember, that visiting a few countries or a few cities only gives you a glimpse of a continent that is much larger than the united states. i hope that you will continue to learn over time. that you will continue to challenge the walls that surround you. that you will think. ponder. question. with each small step that you take.
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