The Birth Lottery

As I tended today to my "summer cold" (which is really another way of saying intense sneezing brought on by the air quality, to which my body has not yet acclimated), I thought a lot about the United States and Pakistan - two nations with obvious differences, but some similarities.

The obvious differences include the climate (have I mentioned that it is really hot here?), geographic location, history and culture. Also, there are the obvious religious differences, given that this is an Islamic nation and America is predominantly Judeo-Christian, but with a Constitution that guarantees religious freedom.

There are some not-so-obvious similarities, too. Yesterday, the head of security for campus invited me to his home to meet his wonderful family, and he said, "People in our countries are really not that different - there are good ones and bad ones in both." That struck me as profound because it is so simple yet so true. Our national media may portray other countries with a broad brush, but the truth here is that the typical Pakistani is not so different from the typical American - we all want a good job, roof over our head, food on our table and for our family and friends to be safe, happy and healthy. The people I have met here are intensely bright, sincere, honest, genuine and exceptionally well-mannered. The women are elegant (in dress, manner, and speech) and the family structure is phenomenally tight - more than we can really comprehend. As I think about the people of America, whom I consider on the whole to be "good" people, so too are the people of Pakistan.

The major difference, I thought, is where we were born. We, as Americans, won a sort of "birth" lottery by having the good fortunate to be born in an advanced and wealthy nation with laws that allow us to live our lives with freedoms. That makes us extremely fortunate on so many levels that we take for granted every day. Consider the First Amendment, Freedom of the Press, and Civil Rights Act of 1964 (protecting us against many forms of discrimination). COnsider being able to visit any website you want on the Internet. These societal benefits do not exist in the same way here as they do in our nation. Or, consider other benefits we have, like the freedom to travel across our nation to different cities as well as the ability to travel across town (in most cities) without the fear of bombs, suicide attackers or violent protests.

So, the next time you play the lottery in your state, remember that as an American, you have already won a global lottery of much more profound proportions.