Tonight I was flossing my teeth, a simple ritual I do every night before I go to bed. As I looked in the mirror at the small thread that was in my hands, my mind flashed again to what life would be like if I was a refugee. As silly as it sounds, there would be no dental floss- probably not even a toothbrush some of the time. I inherited bad teeth, so proper dental care is a non-negotiable if I want to keep my teeth in my head. If I was a refugee, my teeth would likely be rotting, and I would be in the non-stop agony of constant toothaches!
Have you ever thought about what life would be like if you lost everything? If you all the sudden had to flee your house with nothing but the clothes on your back. If you had to rely on strangers for every single little thing necessary to survive until tomorrow. Things like dental floss are a novelty! Do you take any medications or perhaps use vitamins? Would your blood sugar be high without them, or you would be having unwanted pregnancies (pretty much every pregnancy in a refugee camp isn't ideal!), or your blood pressure be high, or would you be having migraines, or perhaps problems with your heart? What about dressing yourself- have you thought what it would be like to receive the only clothes you own from rummaging through a box of second-hand items sent from another country? They likely wouldn't fit and for sure wouldn't be your style at all, but you'd have to wear that same outfit day after day after day. And what about eating? Imagine it has been months, or even years, since you were able to decide what you wanted to eat. You eat and drink the exact same thing every morning, every afternoon, and every evening. There are no times when you are in the mood for something and get to simply prepare that. Or have you thought about privacy? You would be living with your entire family, or another family if yours is small, in a tent that's smaller than any bedroom in your house. This tent is where you spend your entire day: eating, sleeping, hanging out with nothing to do... all on top of one another. There is no such thing as 'alone time' when you are required to live in such a way.
More than all those things is the oppression of endless waiting without a known end. Will the war in your country stop? Will the country where you are living grant you the right to work? Will you be given asylum or forced to spend your entire life in limbo? Days are spent laying on the dirt floor dreaming about the times when you had a job. When you were able to cook your own meals. When your children were able to go to school. When there was a doctor around. Things that shouldn't even qualify as dreams, because they are basic human rights, have become what fills your heart. Maybe one day... That is, if you still have the capacity to still hope. Many people don't. Years of living in survival mode strip away the ability to see beyond making it through this moment. There are no more dreams and no more hopes. It's just the hell on earth you are living in today.
It's not very fun thinking about life like this, huh? The reality is that about 60 million people in the world are forced to face this every day right now. Just because you don't have to doesn't mean you are superior to them or that you deserve the life you have and they deserve theirs. I would challenge you to examine your heart as you think about these things. Do you feel compassion that moves you into action? Or do you feel complacent apathy that draws you to X out of this blogpost and continue scanning your Facebook feed? Sixty million people are crying out- what will you do?
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