Switzerland Part II Episode III

Mainly, I've been thinking more about the right to health, particularly in the context of all that the World Health Organization aims and aspires to do and be, but also because of this course for school that I'm thinking about at the same time. One of the really great things about having a course luxuriously and languidly stretching out before you, and having oodles of spare time because you're not at your usual pace of living, means that you get to ruminate quite a lot on a topic, rather than just hurrying to finish the bare requirements.
At any rate, so I've been thinking about the interconnectedness between human rights, health and shalom. I think rights, particularly as they are understood by Westerners, and particularly those who are more conservative politically, become anathema. I think the perception might be that it is too strident, that it is too selfish or greedy, or some such thing. Women can't ask for rights, don't they have it good enough? My goodness, the homosexual community wants to be treated the same; why are they so bothered about how society is currently treating them? That kind of thing.
However, I suspect that most of the resistance usually comes from within those who hold power. I feel it myself, sometimes too, when I feel like I would have to sacrifice or give something up of myself in order to increase equity for others, that I may feel don't "deserve" it, or didn't work as hard as I did, or some such other nonsense. I don't like ceding power either. I think also, we may not reflect hard enough on just how much power we hold, because of our privilege and coincidence (I guess some people would say 'providence', but sometimes I have a hard time with that - does God not love and provide for everyone? The implication that God is looking particularly out for me and others "like" me suggests a small whiff of prosperity gospel, I think).
Ruminating just on how much power and privilege I hold, and yet also despairing at how hard it is to disperse it, to share it, to bring about shalom, is a hard place to be.
What does this have to do with Switzerland? Well, I think, some of this was also triggered by a brilliant talk on history. History has contributed fundamentally to how this world is functioning today and how the decisions we think we are making that make sense, are not; they are simply decisions that fall in line with other deliberate, selfish choices in the past. Selfish choices that the Western world chose to follow fifty, sixty years ago....