Today, I am convinced that one of the difficulties of living in the West is just the limitless possibilities that are open to us. I think that I am deeply privileged to live here, but I think also that the overwhelming choices sometimes make it difficult to navigate. You somehow are always left with the question, well, what if I had picked X instead?
Talking with my folks today about a bit of language learning I had picked up this weekend, they had mentioned that I could also consider maybe learning my actual ethnic language by going overseas and taking one of their summer courses. Pointing out also some of my scholastic ambitions over the next little while (very small ambitions, no Master's degree or anything), the other possibilities of continuing education then flood the mind with all the courses, certificates and diplomas available. Furthermore, I am in the midst of an application and selection process for two very different fellowships/cohorts/conferences, both of which are conveniently taking place at approximately the same time in the same country.
I realize that all of this is only possible because of my geography and my socio-economic class. The idea that a woman could be an educated professional/academic, travel the world, educate herself, and participate in leadership is sadly so exceedingly foreign to most cultures. Would it have been better if, had my family had ended up on a particular side of the DMZ, I had been destined to be no more than a subsistence farmer, a factory worker, or, perhaps, sold as a bride? I think not. Not at all.
However, I do wonder, with all the potentialities available to us, if that somehow paralyzes us from truly utilizing all of our opportunities. We think, well, I can't accomplish everything, so I won't attempt anything. And some of us truly don't accomplish much more than if we'd been living in a country where the opportunities are next to nothing. Our choices do, however, make it difficult to focus with laser-like precision on what we should do best for God and His Kingdom, that's for sure...
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2 comments:
How blessed is the (wo)man for whom every option is not open, huh?
I really appreciate your comment about your families relative position to the DMZ, and how that rather fine line has made a pretty drastic difference in the options available to you.
I come from a family that has (perhaps intentionally) forgotten it's history, and hung around the lower middle class in america for several generations. So your comment reminds me how transient such opportunities can be, and makes me all the more dedicated to seizing them.
Thanks for sharing your perspective. It was helpful to me.
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