Only Three People Cared to Hear About Africa

Since returning to Dubuque from Africa I have had the opportunity to tell a number of people, maybe close to 100 by now a little of my adventure. However, only three people so far have been interested in more than a very superficial overview. That is an oversimplification, the only presentation I did was to a group of high school students and they asked more questions than anyone else, but due to time constraints we didn't have time for a long discussion.

The point is, most adults are so comfortable in their lives here that the thought of a difficult life in a far away land makes people uncomfortable. Besides, we worked hard for our 2500 square foot house and new cars, we deserve these things. No, we do not deserve to be born in the USA. We do not deserve to have the opportunity to go to college, even if that means taking out massive loans. We do not deserve any sort of government social safety net. Yet for some reason, we can afford these luxuries. Do these safety nets become a privilege we are now responsible for maintaining? Yes, with great power (wealth) comes great responsibility. We do not like to hear that when it means we are the rich one with the responsibility. Yet often the uncomfortable truths are the ones we need to hear the most.