Happy Thanksgiving: Reflections on Current World Events and Human Freedoms

November 21, 2012
Slma Shelbayah
Posted in Perspectives

My fortunes are sometimes forgotten about until I am quickly reminded of their absence in other people’s lives. People’s misfortunes are the gateway to appreciation of my own treasures in life. Call it sad, but it is true. It takes a conscious effort to remember the small things in life, otherwise taken for granted.

As an American-Egyptian Muslim female, I am thankful for the security, comfortable livelihood and especially for the freedom that allows me to be all that I am.

Freedom is simply not guaranteed for all. The freedom I am granted living in the ‘land of the free’, the ‘land of liberty’ is an unimagined foreign concept for most people in the world.

The same is true for the additional comfort and security attached to my freedom. Billions of people strive day-in and day-out for the basics of their livelihood, such as food, water and shelter. While I, on the other hand, live luxuriously with multiple options for the same basics.

Think about it for just one moment: What is freedom and what does it entail for you? Your answer will tell a lot about where you also stand on the scale of fortune. Your circumstance is not a matter of pride or bitterness–just a matter of fact. Neither you nor I completely choose to live the way we do– it is in our destiny.

I believe in destiny. I also believe in free will. The two go hand-in-hand–sometimes we do not know why certain things happen and other times we make choices that allow things to happen. Regardless, I believe things happen because they are meant to happen. While this can provide comfort in accepting what is and what is not meant to be, it fails to answer the prominent question of “why”. Consequently, I ponder, “Why are others not granted the basic human rights I am provided? Why are people born in different circumstances than I am, some more fortunate than others?” Never do I come to a fulfilling answer. Yet, my immediate innate response is always the same—it is so that humans are reminded of one another and it is this reminder that can drive them toward a state of gratitude followed by an act of kindness to all around them, especially the less fortunate.

Just this past year, the world witnessed long-standing world leaders toppled in Tunisia, Yemen and Egypt. The price tag was high, leaving thousands of people dead, arrested and all three countries in a state of instability, at least for some time. However, the courageous people in these countries were willing to pay the price. They underwent great challenges for the simple hope of gaining basic freedoms I am granted everyday. The price tag was higher had they not done this—no freedom was nearing their way any time soon under the previously ruling dictators.

Still in Syria, everyday hundreds of people are dying as the people continue struggling to create free space that guarantees their basics of living. Sadly, no real progress in ending this violence and destruction appears in near sight.

More recently, in Gaza and Israel, on-going conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 130 Palestinians and 5 Israelis with no cease-fire in sight. The people on both sides of the story are living in fear, insecurity and instability. At any instance, their life, or a loved one’s, could end. Freedom to live peacefully is simply not a current option for them.

All the above events relate to me as someone with a Middle Eastern and Islamic background. Though I share part of my identity with people who live in the opposite side of the world, we do not share similar fortunes in life. Our life’s destiny is very different. Put simply, the basic freedoms I have always been granted are the same freedoms stripped from them since birth.

It doesn’t matter where atrocities take place and whom they harm, all humans share very similar and basic needs and desires in life. I think a human heart sees through the outward physical appearances of other fellow human beings. The heart can feel the pain of others’ deprivations. And if it feels, it will surely act with kindness and compassion.

The Dalai Lama says it best, “Compassion can be put into practice if one recognizes the fact that every human being is a member of humanity and the human family regardless of differences in religion, culture, color and creed. Deep down there is no difference.”

As a woman of faith, I believe that God intentionally created us differently only to test our free will to choose between appreciation and rejection of our destiny and to choose how we would react to the destiny of others around us. Without our Godly created differences, we cannot comprehend the world and how it relates to us. Without understanding, we are incapable of fathoming a true appreciation of all that we are provided. And without appreciation, we cannot be of help to the less fortunate.

This year, as I plan to prepare my first thanksgiving dinner for my family, I will remember others who are not in the position to eat or even share a meal with loved ones. My heart is heavy and my hands may be tied. I cannot help all those who are in a less fortunate state of living than me. I cannot provide them with peace, comfort, and security or grant them the freedoms I have. But I can remember and pray for them. This Thanksgiving, gratitude surfaces much more vividly for me as I reflect on my freedoms and security and dedicate a prayer for others who live less fortunately. I am grateful for my fortunes and praying for all people to share a similar fate full of freedom, security and stability.

Slma Shelbayah is a Journalist who focuses on Arab Americans, American Muslims, women and international news specifically related to the Middle East and Islam and Arabs in America. Mrs. Shelbayah freelances for CNN International as an Assignment Editor. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Communication for Brenau University where she teaches numerous courses in International Business Communication and Media. Her experience includes a background in broadcast media and university-level instruction for 6+ years. Mrs. Shelbayah spends much of her time public speaking and workshop training at various engagements connected to her communication and media interests. She has earned her Bachelor’s in Journalism with a minor in Sociology, a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics with a focus on Arabic and Spanish and is currently pursuing her Ph.D in Communication. Website: Slmashelbayah.com; Twitter: @SlmaCNN