at the last moment, the merced sunstar, our daily newspaper, wanted a short article about christmas; asked for on the day of our bazaar (saturday) and due by monday. so, i wrote one, and i thought, 'hum....why not use this for my blog this week?!' so, here you go....
i had a colleague recently who commented that her christmas was going to be slim this year; just not enough money to do all the special things she usually like to do for her family and friends. the person to whom she was speaking responded, "that is such a first world problem".
'that is such a first world problem'. what do you make out of a statement like that?
we discover as we drive up to the starbuck's window, that we have neglected to refill our 'red' card, and we that to use our atm card or, heaven forbid, cash! 'that is such a first world problem'. shout-it-out didn't get the grass stains out of our child's soccer uniform, the cost of gas changed to $3.o9 per gallon, and someone brought jellied cranberries instead of fresh cranberry sauce to thanksgiving. 'these are such first world problems.'.
adequate health care is still not really available to the masses; drugs sold on our streets; illiteracy. these are less 'first world problems', but do we remark about them in the same way? we do not. yet these are issues that affect people thought-out the world.
mary with child and joseph had to travel away from their home to be counted at a time we call christmas. they were required by what was then considered a 'first world' government. that government was not concerned that mary would soon deliver, and that such a trip would be difficult and inconvenient.
when we think about the phrase 'that is such a first world problem', we acknowledge that we are a people who are so very privileged. we have forgotten to reload our starbuck's card because we have our mind on other things -- hitting that big sale; remembering to secure 150 christmas stamps; deciding what to wear to the new year's eve party. which one of us thinks about taking our about-to-deliver partner to the brand new mercy hospital on a donkey? 'that is such a first world problem'.
in a time such as this, may we think about worldly issues -- a birth that is not easy; how to offer the gift of clean water to a family who must travel on foot two miles to a watering hole that is not fit for drinking; living in peace with our neighbors. these are the christmas gifts that will bring understanding and 'joy to the world'.
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