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One of the most unfortunate conditions of the United States (and other economically developed countries) is that most people do not know what it’s like to suffer from a deprivation of basic needs. After all, we live in abundance.
For some of us, suffering looks like a weekend camping trip, forgoing everyday luxuries (i.e. pillow-top mattresses, soy lattes, air conditioning, etc.).
But imagine this: You and your family are camping out. Exhausted by fighting off the oppressive summer heat and bloodthirsty mosquitoes, you slouch helplessly just outside your tent as sweat strolls down your brow and between crevices you never even knew existed. Your belly growls in a rage of hunger; you ran out of food two days ago. But you’re more concerned about the fact that you won’t be able to feed your children today… or tomorrow. You crawl into the tent to escape the scorching sun, but inside the heat intensifies like you’re within the belly of a brick-oven monster. There’s no place for you to bathe, and you don’t even have a toothbrush, soap or access to water. You spend the entire day feeling parched, famished, soiled and worried about your family’s health. It’s a living hell. When nightfall comes, you lay on the ground; the Earth is your mattress. The soil tremors periodically, reminding you of one of the worst days of your life. As you lay in fear, starved and dehydrated, the thought, “Is it happening again?” murmurs just over the sound of your grumbling stomach. You’re in for another sleepless night. But unlike a camping trip, after a few days, you cannot leave. You’re stuck in this awful scenario…. and even 6 months later, there’s still no end in sight.
For you, this is only an exercise in imagination. For many Haitians, however, it’s the reality they live through day after day.
If anyone ever had a reason to doubt the existence of God or to be miserable, depressed and vacant of hope, perhaps the Haitians top the list for most justifiable. But even though they lack the very things we spend the bulk of our days working for, and despite the unimaginable suffering they endure, their lifestyle reveals one of the greatest paradoxes I’ve seen with my own two eyes: some of the materially poorest of people are also the wealthiest in joy.
The reason they thrive despite (and perhaps because of) the great challenges they face? God.
On the night of January 12, 2010, as darkness fell upon them hours after one of the most devastating earthquakes to ever hit Haiti, many Haitians gathered together to sing songs of praise to God. Does this seem implausible? Miraculous? Naïve? Or, perhaps, familiar?
Some people argue that suffering disproves the existence of a god, yet it seems that those who suffer the most often thrive because of their faith and the benefits that arise from it. Even amongst people in economically developed countries, “researchers have found that people who believe in God are more optimistic and hopeful and less vulnerable to stress and depression” (Kindness in a Cruel World, pp. 321-326).
A friend of mine hit the nail on the head when he said, “The Haitian culture is dominated by faith, love, hope, community and gratitude, and the US culture is dominated by entertainment, image, individualism and consumerism”. While most of us (including myself about 6 months ago) would tend to believe that Haitians are enslaved by their poverty, perhaps it is we who are enslaved by abundance and the issues that may have ensued from having more than we need (i.e. an epidemic of obesity, an overwhelming amount of debt, an age of depression, etc.).
The contrast between the cultures couldn’t have become clearer to me than upon my return from a trip to Haiti this past May. Less than 5 minutes back on US soil (in a Miami runway), I was troubled by what I had seen: a series of 5 posters advertising a particular bank and even more specifically, lending options. Each poster pictured a different person’s face, lined with marks for plastic surgery. The message: beauty is worth every penny spent - even if it doesn't come from your own pocket. But is what we value costing us more than debt? According to the World Health Organization (2007), some of the richest nations are also the most depressed.
While in Haiti, I met many Haitian-Christians who were far more on fire for God than anyone I have ever met in the United States, and those same Haitian-Christians were far happier than almost everyone I know (Christian and non-Christian). Though some opponents of faith argue that the Haitians' belief in God stems from a lack of education or intelligence, I can firmly state that these individuals are also some of the wisest people I have ever met.
While there’s certainly no lack of unjust issues to contend with in Haiti – unclean drinking water, food shortages, crowded, unsanitary living conditions, health issues, and high rates of unemployment (to name a few) – there are still plenty of smiling faces there. And yet these smiles prevail through suffering and despite the fact that the people of Haiti are without focus on the very things US culture seems to value most -- entertainment, image, individualism and consumerism. If Americans have so much wealth, material resources, and education, why aren’t we as joyful as some of the Haitians are?
You may not consider yourself a rich man, but compared to 80% of the world’s population, you most likely are (by economic standards). Although “abundance” may never fully trump love, hope, community and faith -- it may impede it. Could our wealth be distracting us from the things that matter most – the things that bring true joy? It seems, at least in Haiti, that God is one of the greatest pathways to a joy-filled life. Instead of running the rat race, being stressed out by deadlines, bills and debt, being held slave to a culture that says you must own this or that to feel good about yourself, perhaps there is a lot to learn from the Haitian people who thrive spiritually and emotionally independent of physical need.
It’s the perspective you choose, not the circumstances you live in, that can actually inspire true joy.
Either only those who have nothing need to believe in and rely on God -- or – All the material wealth in the world cannot substitute the joy that can only come from a relationship with God.
Either suffering proves there is no God – or – Those who thrive through suffering because of their faith are testimonies of God's great power.
Either people best thrive through abundance – or – People best thrive through a relationship with God.
Either joy comes from living a life of comfort, security and abundance -- or – Joy, stemming from faith in God, is experienced independent of circumstances, even unimaginable suffering.
No matter which religious doctrine you follow or loathe and no matter how you choose to perceive it, through the lens of "rational" disbelief or child-like faith, the question is: which perspective actually enables us to thrive? While we may have no conclusive scientific proof that God exists, the people of Haiti offer proof that faith in God can arouse joy even amidst the worst conditions.
Either you can choose the things of this world - or - You can choose God.
I choose God. How about you?
References
Zuckerman, P. (2007). Atheism: Contemporary numbers and patterns. In M. Martin (ed.), The Cambridge companion to atheism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
