So much going on in the world right now, I don’t even know where to start. Actually, let’s start with a story…
After college, I ran with a local running club. We used to meet at a university right outside of Philadelphia and we had the opportunity to run against some of the greats.
There was one guy that was kinda odd looking and was very quiet. I can’t remember his name, but it’s not important. What’s important was how he got there in the first place.
Welcome To America
Like I said, I can’t remember his name, so we’ll call him “Bob” for the sake of the story. Bob was an interesting guy. He didn’t wear shoes all the time, he didn’t speak a ton of English, but he DID destroy everyone every time he stepped on the track.
You see Bob was a distance runner from a North African country called Sudan. He was a refugee. But he wasn’t just any refugee. Bob was part of this group called “the lost boys.”
They were a group of about 40,000 that were displaced for over 20 years during the Sudanese civil war. These 40,000 kids were orphaned and wandered the desert as nomads traveling from Ethiopia and back while their country was literally coming apart at the seams.
The reason why I mention this is because of our current climate in America where it seems like just about everyone all the up to the president is averse to taking in any more refugees from “sh*thole countries.”
He’s Right
Okay, before you get your panties in a bunch, let’s talk about it for a second. As you know, the title of this here post is all about the worthy struggle and I want us to talk about that for a second before we go jumping on the “everyone is equal” bandwagon.
Everything/one is not equal broham. I’m sorry to be the one to say it, but there are some baddies out there. In the spirit of MLK day, we can just take a brief look at our own history and our own country and say that there are some places/times/people that we would rather not visit.
I mean think about it. Would you want live in a country where people are routinely discriminated against, beaten into submission, and not even given a chance to have their voices heard or have the ability to change anything through elections? No? Well, your parents did…
It’s History
You see, our country is not so far withdrawn from inequality and mistreatment of people, but that of course, doesn’t mean that we’re inherently bad. It just means that we as progressive individuals have to insulate ourselves from the B.S. that surrounds us. That doesn’t just apply to racism and discrimination, but it also means people and ideas that aren’t congruent with our own, have to take a backseat as we continue along our personal and societal progress.
On a more personal level, I would like you to consider that there is no such thing as a stress-free life. We all struggle from time to time. We’re all faced with obstacles and challenges to our own greatness, but we can’t let that stuff get in.
What I’m getting at here is that there are some bad people/places in the world. There’s no denying that, so to say that you’re willing to put up with these people for the sake of your own morality is on the verge of asinine (yeah, I said it).
Is It Worth It?
In a word, NO. But honestly, that’s just my opinion. Every day, people find themselves stuck trying to figure out the best way to make more money, have more friends, and feel more healthy. In reality, there isn’t a lot of time to devote to people or situations that simply won’t or are unwilling to change.
Sure, it’s great to help people out, but at the expense of your own well being? I think not. Bob is a great guy, he deserved help, but I’d be willing to bet that even he would THINK TWICE about returning to his homeland in its current state.
The punchline here is that we’re all in this together, however, there are people out there who simply are unwilling to play along. So the question is, do you want to spend your time with people that are gonna bring you down and poo poo on all your accomplishments/progress, or are you gonna ignore the haters and do you?
I think you may already know the answer to that question.
Jerry “choices” Washington
P.S. I don’t want to come off as heartless, but at the same time, I feel that many people have taken on causes and have committed time to unwinnable situations. We all struggle, we’ve all done something that we may not be proud of, but the solution is to simply find a way to challenge yourself in a healthy way. One way to do this is to find a cause worthy enough for your attention. A daily exercise routine is one that comes to mind, or again in the spirit of MLK day, give what you can to help someone that is not aspiring to make your environment a “sh*thole.” Talk soon…
