1st World Problems

Some the interns and I are trying to help us all be accountable for our "problems" by classifying them as 1st or 3rd world problems.  This simple game can really put a lot of our lives in perspective.  

Here are some examples....

The Wi-Fi connection at the house is not working....1st world problem

We are out of ice....1st world problem

Someone drank the second half of my bottled Starbucks Frappuccino.....1st world problem

Meeting a woman with a tumor that is infected and not being able to treat her....3rd world problem

Seeing distended bellies and lethargic preschoolers who should be full of life...3rd world problem

Trying to decide what is best for a house full of abandoned children...3rd world problem

However, the more and more I think about these classifications, the more I wonder how these vast differences can really exist.  Don't get me wrong, 1st world countries, people and their families have their share of significant problems.  This is not to minimize those hurting, hungry, alone or lost in our 1st world setting.  This is not to say also, that 3rd world countries don't have their share of trivial problems.  

One of the biggest differences that I can see is support.  There are systemic challenges here in Haiti that make support much harder to come by.  In the U.S. if someone doesn't have food or a place to live, they go to their local county social worker and get support to hopefully meet those needs.  In the U.S.  public education is widely provided and utilized by many so most of our children have at least a basic education.  In the U.S. parents and families (at least in my school) are supported as they go through the ups and downs of raising a child. 

When I am working with interpreters here I am very careful about the word "support" because to most people here, that term means a financial commitment.  As with most things, money does help, but more importantly I have witnessed the power of sharing and supporting one another with the realities of life.  Turns out that there is a lot that happens when we share our problems with each other.  Most of the Haitians that I have met love to share their story.  They welcome questions, and they will be the first to say they are blessed to be alive.  In sharing my story with them we have started to level the playing field.  We are both humans, we are both god's beloved children and we both deserve to be fully present in this world focused on how to do the most good.  This understanding is powerful and empowering.  It provides an opportunity to teach, learn and problem solve together.  Hopefully not just one life, but two and maybe more lives are changed because of it.  

I urge you to take a step back the next time you or someone you know has a "problem" and instead of judging it, dismissing it or solving it.  Invest your time in it.  And try to leave a few of those 1st world problems behind....