Thoughts on vacation.

After reading my latest post, you are right in assuming I had a great time on Martha's Vineyard. In fact, I had a blast. It was great to see Kara along with her brother and father. I was also very happy to meet a new friend in Justin. My experience on Martha's Vineyard was, however, difficult in the sense that I had many feelings to manage. I hope this post will help me articulate some of my life experiences so you can have another perspective of the world we live in, particularly Martha's Vineyard.

Upon landing at Martha's Vineyard, it didn't take long for me to notice how much money was being spent. My ticket, for example, cost 70 dollars round trip. Now before I even set foot on the island, I can help feed a family in rural India for a few weeks. I realized this wasn't a typical vacation spot when I found myself in a sea of white people holding multiple shopping bags as they walked across streets and into their Range Rovers. I could barely smell the salt in the air before I had trouble managing thoughts of guilt, sadness, and shame.

In the summer of 2006 I spent 2 weeks in rural Brazil participating in a church sponsored mission trip to help a humanitarian organization called the Medical Missionaries of Mary. During this time, along with painting a school and visiting impoverished farmers, I became inspired to help others. During this trip, I knew that whatever I did for a living when I grew older had to have a direct positive impact on a person's life every day.

Soon after this trip, in the fall of 2007, I spent 3 and half months in India studying abroad. It was during this time abroad that my life changed forever. India is the world's largest democracy and it struggles to rise into the industrialized world. Millions of Indians are trapped in a world of inadequate health care, insufficient schooling, and unemployment. Every day, while I walked on the street, I saw dozens of children begging. Coming up to your arms, asking for money, these children had looks of desperation and hopelessness that has been burned in my memory. I will never forget the night I landed in New Delhi, and as our bus took the group I was with to our hotel, I looked out the window and saw people sleeping on the street for what seemed like miles.

Now, as we fast forward to Oak Bluffs, this tiny island town had no visible signs of these horrors that plague parts of India. Now, to be fair, I will say the people I saw were vacationers, and I am sure the year round residents of Oak Bluffs and Martha's VIneyard have issues with healthcare, unemployment, and poverty. The point I want to make is these issues are very hard to find on the island because they are masked by a constant ambiance of wealth and well-being. There seems to be no struggle, and that is what bothered me. Having seen the struggles that people face on a daily basis, I have difficulty managing the reconciliation of my time in India and Brazil with times like being on Martha's Vineyard.

I will, at this time, say there is absolutely nothing wrong with Martha's Vineyard. In fact, I hope to go back some day. What I hope you, my reader, can begin to understand, is how it was difficult for me to enjoy the opportunity for relaxation on the island when I am aware that at the same time countless people are struggling throughout the world. I understand that any person can pick up a New York Times and be aware of the same thing but, at the risk of sounding self-righteous, the problems of the world become much more vivid when you experience them first hand.

My hope for you after having read this post is that you will continue to vacation in the cesspools of wealth that are tucked into the beautiful corners of our world. Keep going. sun bathe. water ski. swim. drink. eat. sleep. silence your phone. Do all the great things we yearn for as we toil away in the office after months of work and stress. Except the next time you go, actually read the paper on the plane, ferry, or train. Flip to whatever God awful atrocity is going on in the world at that time, and learn about it. Then, as you arrive at the resort, cabin, bungalow, or hostel, keep the article in your thoughts. I think this can help us become more grateful for what we have, and perhaps more aware of how we can help those in need. Remember that at all times, there is suffering. Personally, I think this is something we should be especially aware of as we swim up to the bar and order another margarita. I hope you do a better job than I did.