Monday, September 19, 2011

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Humor me here... I just had a thought, and I think it holds water.

Because I have an abundance of food and shelter, that makes me wealthy when compared to the vast majority of the world. And it seems to me that most affluent westerners (again, affluent meaning people who have food and housing) are easily perturbed and stressed by minor events. Why is this? Well, I believe it's because they're not experiencing trials...they're not stuck living from hand to mouth, and thus the small things seem really big.

Unfortunately, I speak from experience here. Things like house problems, the common cold, a malfunctioning pen, can all serve to stress me out. Now, obviously there are varying degrees of stress here, but when I have a pipe that won't break loose during a remodel and I get really upset at it, that's probably a good indication that I don't have a proper perspective on things. If I were struggling to stay alive, struggling to feed myself and my family, or facing severe persecution, then my view on a stuck pipe would probably be different.

You see this in the lives of the suffering. I recall Corrie Ten Boom who recounts stories of her childhood with cheeriness and joy, despite being poor and living during a world war. If you've ever wondered how poor people can live with more joy than the wealthy, maybe this is part of the answer. Not only do we rich seek happiness by trying to find their significance in "things" (that's another topic altogether) but they also find all kinds of minutia to get upset about.

So... so what. Why does this matter since, I'm guessing, most of us won't choose difficulty and suffering? Well, for those of us blessed enough to not be starving or fearing for our lives, I would think we should live our lives differently. This means both recognizing our blessedness, but also putting ourselves around those who suffer. Helping the suffering and hurting should help to give us proper perspective on life's problems. Don't you think?

2 comments:

James Hussey said...

ITA.

If you're less than hip, hipster - "I Totally Agree."

I think with suffering comes compassion, empathy and appreciation. Tash and I have had our share but it's still nothing compared to "real" suffering like going through a World War, or starving, etc.

We're nigh-on ninnies, and thankless at that (speaking of myself here).

Thanks for calling me a thankless ninny, Josh...

Jonathan said...

I agree. Our ability to process in the moment really is a matter of perspective. When the worst thing that's ever happened to us is short-lived pain (e.g. getting immunization shots), it's hard to put things like stuck bolts or the sniffles in perspective.

In general, the people who have access to read this are truly wealthy. We have resources unheard of through much of the world. I think living a little closer to the reality that others are going through would add a dose of humility and understanding as we grow through life.

Thank you for this post!