The Plight of The Great Pumpkin

The Dalai Lama said, “The western woman will save the world.” No, what he actually said was, “Western women can come to the rescue of the world.”

He’s right. WHY shouldn’t we? Our first world problems often pale in comparison to women around the world, and yet we get stuck!

Don’t get me wrong, I know firsthand that we do, in fact have real issues, true tragedies, and challenges. BUT, for the most part, we are able to rally and rise again.

While we may struggle from time-to-time with challenges, women in third world countries struggle with surviving.

Choice, convenience, and easy access can at times creates dependency, apathy, and entitlement.We can lose sight of what really matters, and inflate issues that are less attention worthy.

Consider the plight of The Great Pumpkin

While at the gym last week in my noon yoga class, I overheard two women lamenting over the “plight of the pumpkin”. Yep, you read that correctly, the plight of the pumpkin. According to the discussion they were very concerned over the shortage of pumpkins due to the early harvest. Mostly they lamented over the fact that they’d be all gone, or worse, rotten. Disastrous really – how will the children know which houses to visit on Halloween?

As plights go, this seems a little off-centered. I mean seriously, the PLIGHT of the pumpkin? A plight, according to Webster’s dictionary, is “a situation, especially a bad or unfortunate one.” I think perhaps plight might be a tad exaggerated.

At times I believe our society has been disempowered. There are too many choices, conveniences and distractions. Life was basic, and perhaps simpler, when there was only one choice. Now that I am free, I value and have a deeper appreciation of freedom because I lacked basic freedom for so long. Had I always had the level of freedom I do now, I may have taken it for granted. Yet it is easy to get caught up in our first world problems. If you feel a confession coming, you are right…

This summer I was very much reminded of how sometimes my problems can be first world. Our complete kitchen required mold remediation due to a simple dishwasher leak. The whole kitchen was torn apart – BLACK MOLD! It created havoc and destruction. The counters, cabinets, and drywall right to the studs, had to be removed. It was quite the scene… hazmat suits and all.

Thank goodness our laundry room is on the same floor and next to our kitchen, because we have a sink in the laundry room. No sink = no water = NO TEA! BIG problem? Not really. Not having rather easy access to tea was my first world problem. Oh the absolute travesty of not having a kitchen with easy access. For shame. For shame!  It hit me one morning while I sipped my perfectly brewed cup of tea on the back deck while the sun shone and the birds sang. YIKES! I had been lamenting over the inconvenience this was causing.

There it was staring me straight in the face. I too was a first world lamenter. How did this happen?

Like I said earlier – choice, convenience, and easy access can at times creates dependency, apathy, and entitlement.

I am a western women with so very much to be grateful for! The Dalai Lama is one smart change agent. Oh yes, he knew that making that statement would have a profound effect on society. Of course the western woman should come to the  rescue of the world. WHO BETTER? It is our responsibility. We have the resources, the tools, and the access!

Oh, by the way, the plight of the pumpkin was not a plight at all. There are plenty of pumpkins for Halloween.  I know you all just breathed a collective sigh of relief!

Jo, a big Dalai Lama fan!