Corndogs + Avocados

I had an interesting conversation on the bus last week with a fellow who I had seen several times previously but not spoken with before. His name was Peter and we struck up a conversation at the bus stop that continued during our entire 20 minute ride.

Peter had been in the Peace Corps for a year in Croatia. He found it very difficult to deal with the poverty and low standard of living and essentially quit after completing only 50% of the normally requisite two-year volunteer period. I brought up my experience with poverty in Madagascar (1992-93) and together we concluded that we in the first-world nations are living better than most (no revelation there).

I opined that despite the political polarity in the US and the ever widening gap between conservative and liberal thinkers, we in the US and other first-world nations are still among the relatively few in the world who:

• own cars & property
• enjoy potable hot & cold running water and and access to clean disease-free food
• have access to cheap & reliable natural gas, electricity, telephone & other utilities
• have reliable emergency & protective services
• have an accountable government (all personal opinions about the current administration aside)
• have access to excellent health care
• are not suffering from the effects of war either current or recent
• have access to an excellent education

Of course there are plenty of homeless hungry people living in the United States and 40 million residents who have no health insurance whatsoever. But, when compared with Madagascar or other similar third-world countries, the percentages of people who go without are small. That said, it is disturbing that we cannot find a way to take care of our own. With the United States being so wealthy why is anyone homeless or hungry? Peter nor I really had the answer.

My sister-in-law Nancy just returned from Ecuador where she was reminded how blessed she is to have a car with no hubcaps. You can read more about her adventure on her blog.