chapter 30: open letter to god

dear god/allah,

i consider myself a pretty good guy. i generally adhere to the golden rule, which is the only one all religions seem to have in common. but i'm not a super religious guy. i don't go to church, never pray, and engage in a laundry list of behavious that are clearly sinful. that's kind of what this letter is all about.

anyway, i'm writing to tell you, the world you (supposedly?) created is out of whack. as i leave ghana, i'm reflecting on the last 8 months spent living with some of the world's unfortunates. they have a brutal natural environment to deal with, terrible health conditions, grinding poverty and pretty bleak expectations that the whole mess will ever improve.

but they believe in you.

they smile, help eachother, give of what little they have to visitors. and they thank you every day. i'm still trying to figure out what they're thanking you for. lack of running water? the insistent, sizzling heat? malaria mosquitoes? i'm not sure.

but here's the thing: they're a lot more thankful to you for their scant comforts than the western world is for its lavish lifestyle.

and as i head back into that world, i'm thinking on the contradictions. i'm looking forward to having religion in its proper perspective, as the people of ghana go a little nuts with it at times. i'm sure even you would prefer to leave zealotry out of the plan. but i'm not looking forward to hearing "god bless america/canada/god save the queen". why is it that poor people are thanking you for their paltry lot in life, while rich people keep asking you to bless them even more?

i'm still not sure about you, god. the world seems to spin faster and faster out of control, like a twisted merry go 'round, operated by a demented psycho. there seems to be a certain randomness to it, like nobody's actually in control at all. so here's the deal: change the balance. give the poor a break. send them rain, responsible leaders, brilliant doctors and scientists. send the west a little fear, drought, pestilence and fire.

have you seen how the west is living right now? we dropped out of your program a long time ago. the vast majority of africans are with you. it's about time you showed the world who's in control, cause lately, it seems like you're on a really long break.

give em a goddamned break, willya?