Rainy Day Thoughts

It's interesting and sad how much location changes perspective and truly every aspect of life.

This week was when Kony 2012 came out and captured the thoughts and attention of millions of online viewers and people. While in bed, smothered with blankets, I opened the link and watched the 29 minute video. During those minutes, I "traveled" to Uganda and "experienced" Jacob's pain, as tears silently flowed down my face. His words to his gone brother, who was basically beheaded in attempts to flee the LRA, his pleas for the Americans to kill him "if possible," the pain and fear in his face. Yet also, his hope. He looks shy as he tells the cameramen of his dream of becoming a lawyer. He smiles faintly, as if even he knows that his dream is far-fetched and impossible to reach. He knows that it is. All because he lives in Uganda. All because of location. As I watched and re-watched some segments, like other millions of viewers, I wanted to do something. To help. But how? As these thoughts filled my mind at 4 am, I then turned off the I-phone, tightly hugged my pillow, and went to bed. Turned it all off and went to bed, knowing that I am safe. Knowing that these problems are far away. We are able to just shut out problems and continue on with our lives, worrying about college decisions, and knowing that in the end, God will provide. We continue on with worrying over boys, typing out thoughts and rants on blogs, complaining about how much life sucks and how grades are dropping and ruining lives...all these complaints and worries never being life and death situations. All because we live here. All because we were born to our individual set of parents.



How is that? Why is that? Why does God seem to provide for us, yet often times, in our eyes, not for them? Don't get me wrong, I'm a Christian, yet I'm just one with questions. God told us and promised us to not worry about tomorrow, about the clothes we wear or the food we eat.. yet why does this promise seem to apply to the more well off and not others? I'm sure it does and as a human I can't see and understand what's going on and everything. Free will stuff I guess? When college decisions for UT came out and some of my friends did not get their wanted majors, they just said it wasn't meant to be and God has other plans. I'm sure my parents and I will say that once my college results come out, but hey, we rely on God so much in such comfortable situations. We say that it wasn't meant to be, knowing that we'll be going somewhere. Yet, what about the people in Uganda, Syria, North Korea, etc.? Believing in God and relying on Him is so easy here. Believing and trusting God when you're a child solider, when you're a sex slave, when you're starving... that's true and that's real faith. [Disclaimer: I'm not saying we don't have real faith, here. Sorry if it sounds that way.] Yet, more often than not, why do our prayers seem to be answered, yet theirs aren't? Maybe it's just that that things we pray for (college, happiness, etc.) just happens here when we try. There are no answers to these questions. See, truly, ignorance is bliss. The more we don't know about what other people are suffering through, the more we don't think about it. The more we continue to complain about every aspects of our lives. I complain a lot and having watched Kony 2012 and after reading a TIMES article about Syria... I'm ashamed to have done so. Just being able to sit here and type is a blessing. Yesterday as the heavens roared and thunder, lightnings, and rain poured down from above, I noticed how strong our ceiling was. How comfortable and safe everything was, when outside it was horrible. Just imagine camping outside now. That's how some people live.






~~I don't care if it's hard ... I'm becoming a doctor and that's how I will help. Granted, I can give little help by donating my time and money now, which I do in service clubs, etc. But the true help will come later. And I will make it happen.

Imagine if we all switched positions with people in Uganda, Syria, North Korea, even for a day, while having all our old memories. What do you think the people who got our lives would do? Think about it.




***Senior Year has really been a time where I questioned different aspects of life and switched political sides multiple times, while to figure out that politics is just plain corrupt. That no matter how hard we try to fix a problem, a bigger one exists and so fixing something is just impossible. That all politicians want is money, fame, and votes. That economically there are solutions to many of our million dollar problems, yet morally that just can't happen.