When worlds collide
That was perhaps the most melodramatic way of saying, I am cross-posting with today's SimpliFi blog!
I don’t like living life by comparison: Her jawline is better than mine; their house is bigger/fancier/more expensive than ours; etc. Being a human, though, makes such comparisons inevitable. It’s how we learn about ourselves, by making distinctions. It’s also how we marginalize others.
This little inexpert sociology lesson has a point, and the point is I’ve seen a couple of documentaries lately that really make my little home seem like a castle of safety, pleasantness and wealth. Crossing the Line catches up with one of four American defectors to North Korea who has now been there for over 30 years.A State of Mind follows two young North Korean girls in training for Mass Games, a huge gymnastic demonstration of North Korean discipline and single-mindedness. Finally, the PBS series Auschwitz asks direct questions about how…well, just how. How does something like the Holocaust happen.
My home is comfortable, handsome, warm or cool as needed, and we’ve got a significant amount of property. Each person in our household can eat more than five eggs per month if we so choose. There’s no imminent threat of disenfranchisement and abuse here.
Daily peace in many ways represents incalculable wealth. I am so fortunate.