We're off! Embarking on an amazing adventure which will undoubtably, as Alexis reminds me, be a life-changing one. And while excitement, anticipation, perhaps even some anxiety should be flooding my thoughts and ind, my heart is instead filled with incredible sadness. The reason is not for the travel or the impending adventure, but instead for the powerful , emotional and extremely depressing movie that we just finished. "The Impossible", at the same, time, is inspiring, humbling, and encouraging. I wouldn't normally write about a movie, however this one is moving enough and surprisingly relevant to our future months. Set in Thailand at the time of the tsunami, it depicts a family on vacation as they survive the horrors of the event and its aftermath. And while scenes of loss and reunion were most dominant throughout the movie, the ones that I cling to are the ones that capture the good and universal I see in the world. We have seven countries in the next four months that we are blessed to experience and explore and what this movie reminded me of -- and our travels will inevitably show us-- is that no matter where you are, what language you speak, and what your name, age, culture, faith, job, income, etc etc are, we are all the same. The crying and pain, both physical and emotional, that these characters were depicting are ones we would all feel. And then the desire to help those less fortunate than us -- whether the villagers bandaging and transporting Maria and her son, or Maria wanting to help rescue the little boy, Daniel -- is something that all good people aspire to.
I remember going to Africa for the first time and people saying how shocked and abhorred I would be by the depravity I would see and what, again, a life-changing exposure that would be. No doubt the poverty and dirt were horrible, but what surprised me the most was that, despite that, the overarching observation that I had was "they're just like us"! The children run and play, the moms worry, the dogs bark, and the sun also rises. In this movie the scenes of reunion and complete despair could be Americans, Swiss, Thais, Chinese, or anyone from any background.
I wonder if, not until we realize that we're all the same can we allow ourselves selflessness. Perhaps empathy is the requisite needed; "If I were in their shoes, what would I want or need?" But if selflessness is rooted in empathy, then it might really be selfishness because the internal conversation could go, "If that's what I would want or need and someone like me isn't able to provide that, then who am I to hope or expect that someone would help me if I were in their position?" This is exactly the thought process Maria has when she convinces her son, Lucas, to help save the boy Daniel. "If that boy were Simon or Thomas wouldn't we hope for someone to help?" To a degree I wonder how much "Karma-points" goes into making decisions like that. ("If I pull my weight here, we expect someone else to pull their weight there.") But isn't that what being a team is all about? I should use my strengths and abilities to help when I can and others will do their part? And maybe one individual doesn't change the world, but if we truly act as a team then I am not in a vacuum. The hard part about this is that it means you're never really "off". You can't expect others to be un-apathetic but then excuse yourself to be apathetic. So when you see that piece of trash in the water you can't say "oh, someone else will get it" or "it's not my problem" because if I expect others to be responsible it starts with me. I need to hold myself to the same standards. I desire a world that is loving, supportive, helpful, and compassionate, and therefore to meet that end I need to be a part of the solution. It's not a novel concept and I think intrinsically most people are compassionate and helpful but often fear strangles those attributes; in a dire situation we don't share our cell phones to call home because we worry that there might not be enough battery for us to use it later.
The other suppressant of those virtues is apathy. I'm not sure what causes it but I imagine that it stems from exhaustion and fatigue-- you try repeatedly and have continual failure and then reach a point of feeling disheartened. "What's the use?"
So while we globe trot over the next exciting, amazing, eye-opening months, I will certainly be aware of the uniquenesses of each country and culture, but I will look for, and celebrate, eye sameness prevalent as well.