It's been a while since I've done a blog post, but one of the requirements for my study abroad trip is to keep a travel journal logging our cultural experience in France. Most of my entries are just a couple paragraphs, but I wrote one earlier this week that I felt was worth sharing.
Enjoy!
24 May 2016
I had a really interesting experience walking home from class today. Anna and I had just stopped by the grocery store and finished planning our trip to Rome in a couple weekends. When we parted ways, I stuck my headphones in and turned on the song that had been stuck in my head all day -- “Love Letters to God” by Nahko and Medicine for the People:
Give, always give what you can,
Even if your allies draw lines in the sand.
And dig, always dig a little deeper.
Sometimes it’s hard to be my brother’s keeper.
Love, so you let love in.
Baby, I am home in the wake of your skin.
And it’s crazy, how we wear our ceremonies.
Always be open to your path and your journey.
I’m not sure exactly what Nahko was driving at, but the lyrics moved me. I think that’s kinda the point of music. Anyway, I walked past a couple of guys that looked homeless, and I caught a glimpse of the t-shirt one was wearing. It didn’t look much different than t-shirts I would wear, and that got me thinking: how different are he and I, really?
Let’s say, hypothetically, he and I are actually very similar. He’s into the same music as me, has the same career aspirations, similar talents, but perhaps because we grew up under different circumstances, he’s ended up in much worse living conditions than me. Instead of traveling to the other side of the world to study a foreign language and experience a new culture, he’s walking down the street of his hometown, begging for money just so he can eat. Had I grown up under under harsher circumstances, could that be me out on the streets? Had he grown up in more generous circumstances, could he be living a better life? Why did I grow up in my circumstances and he in his?
As I kept walking, Nahko’s words kept me thinking. I looked at each of the people I passed, especially those that looked stressed, anxious, and sorrowful, and wondered what challenges they were going through. When I thought about the things that were stressing me (finding a train to England at the end of my trip, for example), they almost seemed gluttonous in comparison. There are people in this world (and perhaps there were people on that street) that aren’t sure whether they’re going to eat on a given day, and there I was worrying about how I was going to spend my leisure time on the other side of the world. How is that even fair?
I imagine this is a quandary that’s plagued scholars and philosophers for millennia, so I doubt my thoughts after wandering down a street in Perpignan will do much to bring humanity closer to a solution. I’m certainly not capable of giving people the life I'm privileged to live, but maybe there are small things I can do to nudge people in the right direction.
Give, always give what you can.
It's hard to give. It's so much easier to tell a little white lie to someone and hurry on your way. "Eish, I don't have anything on me." But perhaps I can be a little more understanding and willing to give next time I see a beggar on the street. Perhaps I can actually carry with me something I can give. It may be unlikely that any single act of goodness turns a life around, but even easing one person's suffering however minutely... That’s still something in the right direction. And who knows, maybe those small acts will set me on the right path to do more later in life.
And dig, always dig a little deeper.
Sometimes it's hard to be my brother's keeper.
I’ve been extremely blessed the last three years to live in some of the most diverse places this world has to offer. Despite cultural differences between the people in Utah, in South Africa, in Hawaii, in California, in Louisiana, in France, or anywhere, really, the human condition is very much the same. We feel the same emotions, go through the same struggles, and are all essentially looking for the same things -- happiness, joy, and fulfillment. As we live abroad, but perhaps more especially as we live at home, it’s important to keep this in mind. When we’re able to understand that we’re more similar to people than we realize, our capacity to be a positive influence wherever we live increases dramatically.
24 May 2016
I had a really interesting experience walking home from class today. Anna and I had just stopped by the grocery store and finished planning our trip to Rome in a couple weekends. When we parted ways, I stuck my headphones in and turned on the song that had been stuck in my head all day -- “Love Letters to God” by Nahko and Medicine for the People:
Give, always give what you can,
Even if your allies draw lines in the sand.
And dig, always dig a little deeper.
Sometimes it’s hard to be my brother’s keeper.
Love, so you let love in.
Baby, I am home in the wake of your skin.
And it’s crazy, how we wear our ceremonies.
Always be open to your path and your journey.
I’m not sure exactly what Nahko was driving at, but the lyrics moved me. I think that’s kinda the point of music. Anyway, I walked past a couple of guys that looked homeless, and I caught a glimpse of the t-shirt one was wearing. It didn’t look much different than t-shirts I would wear, and that got me thinking: how different are he and I, really?
Let’s say, hypothetically, he and I are actually very similar. He’s into the same music as me, has the same career aspirations, similar talents, but perhaps because we grew up under different circumstances, he’s ended up in much worse living conditions than me. Instead of traveling to the other side of the world to study a foreign language and experience a new culture, he’s walking down the street of his hometown, begging for money just so he can eat. Had I grown up under under harsher circumstances, could that be me out on the streets? Had he grown up in more generous circumstances, could he be living a better life? Why did I grow up in my circumstances and he in his?
As I kept walking, Nahko’s words kept me thinking. I looked at each of the people I passed, especially those that looked stressed, anxious, and sorrowful, and wondered what challenges they were going through. When I thought about the things that were stressing me (finding a train to England at the end of my trip, for example), they almost seemed gluttonous in comparison. There are people in this world (and perhaps there were people on that street) that aren’t sure whether they’re going to eat on a given day, and there I was worrying about how I was going to spend my leisure time on the other side of the world. How is that even fair?
I imagine this is a quandary that’s plagued scholars and philosophers for millennia, so I doubt my thoughts after wandering down a street in Perpignan will do much to bring humanity closer to a solution. I’m certainly not capable of giving people the life I'm privileged to live, but maybe there are small things I can do to nudge people in the right direction.
Give, always give what you can.
It's hard to give. It's so much easier to tell a little white lie to someone and hurry on your way. "Eish, I don't have anything on me." But perhaps I can be a little more understanding and willing to give next time I see a beggar on the street. Perhaps I can actually carry with me something I can give. It may be unlikely that any single act of goodness turns a life around, but even easing one person's suffering however minutely... That’s still something in the right direction. And who knows, maybe those small acts will set me on the right path to do more later in life.
And dig, always dig a little deeper.
Sometimes it's hard to be my brother's keeper.
I’ve been extremely blessed the last three years to live in some of the most diverse places this world has to offer. Despite cultural differences between the people in Utah, in South Africa, in Hawaii, in California, in Louisiana, in France, or anywhere, really, the human condition is very much the same. We feel the same emotions, go through the same struggles, and are all essentially looking for the same things -- happiness, joy, and fulfillment. As we live abroad, but perhaps more especially as we live at home, it’s important to keep this in mind. When we’re able to understand that we’re more similar to people than we realize, our capacity to be a positive influence wherever we live increases dramatically.
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