isolated but relevant

Have you ever thought about how isolated our American experience is? How few people in the world do the things that we do or live the way that we live?

I found this link the other day and was reminded: http://www.globalrichlist.com/

I haven’t really been able to stop thinking about it. These are funny times too – the economic crisis, the Presidential election and Thanksgiving quickly approaching. I’ve been feeling so pulled back and forth – grateful for the life I’m able to live in America, but not wanting to vote. Thankful for so many things in life, yet so many times unwilling to let any of that thankfulness overflow into giving. And perpetually frustrated by American Acquisition Influenza – our right to have cable television, our right to drive new SUVs, our right to low gas prices, our right to you name it – as I run into Target to grab a great new dark nail polish that I’ve been eyeing.

And then once in a while I see something like this and it brings me back to reality: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7692396.stm

Slavery was ruled illegal 5 years ago in Nigeria. Five years ago. And this woman is still fighting for her freedom.

This life I lead is so isolated, we really do share it with just a few percent of the world. My prayer today is that somewhere in the midst of feeling conflicted and confused, that thankfulness would begin to flow into giving and my sense of having a right to all kinds of things and experiences would subside into quiet gratitude. And that my isolated life here would somehow be connected with and relevant to women and people like Hadijatou Mani in Nigeria.