Perspective

Many years ago Joseph Addison wrote an essay called "The Mountain of Miseries." It tells of a man who dreamt that everyone who suffered from any type of affliction -- physical deformity, chronic pain, terrible illness, etc., was given the opportunity to come together in a certain place where each would be allowed to discard their worst affliction onto one huge pile -- hence the name, "the mountain of miseries."

But there was a catch. After discarding the chosen affliction, each was also required to take from the pile a new misery that another had left behind. You can imagine what the pile looked like -- crippled arms and legs, deaf ears, blind eyes, horribly bent spines, tumors, lumps, and other unspeakable afflictions. At first, all were eager to agree to this condition, reasoning that no other affliction could ever be as torturous or debilitating as the one they were laying down. However, their eagerness soon turned to painful disappointment as each one tried to deal with their new misery, complaining that it was ever-so-much worse than the original.

In the end, each one agreed to trade back for the original misery he'd been so anxious to leave behind. They'd learned a lesson from a valuable teacher called "perspective."

Last night I had an experience with perspective. It taught me just how insignificant my so-called "problems" are. Sitting in the comfort,safety, and warmth of my home, I was watching a football bowl game on television -- you know, one of those events considered to be, by some people at least, one of the most critical moments in the history of the world.

As usual, the commentators recounted the epic struggles and achievements that each team had gone through in order to be in this game. The game ended in an exciting conclusion. The winners couldn't contain their joy. The losers were sitting there thinking of what might have been if a certain play had not been ruled the way it was. I'm sure that celebrations continued on into the night. And in the end, millions of viewers simply flipped to another channel. I was one of them. But the program I chose to watch knocked me to my senses and left me weeping.

My own words are incapable of describing what I saw. I will never forget it. Here is a link to the program:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/opium-brides/  It lasts about 30 minutes.

Please watch it. Please.

And after watching it you will understand why I then encourage you to count your blessings, particularly the ones we all take for granted. And if you have children, gather them in your arms -- literally or figuratively -- and love them like never before.

Football games suddenly have little appeal. Perspective is a great teacher.