First World Problems

We've all seen those silly memes about first world problems. "I had to tidy for the cleaning lady - first world problem." "My diamond earrings keep scratching my iPhone - first world problem." They are silly, but they are covering up some genuine first world problems. It's almost like we collectively feel guilty for any problems when there are people on the planet without clean drinking water, enough food to eat, clothes on their back or a roof over their heads. Those are the real problems in the world, not our piddly little first world problems.

While those are very real problems that we should all be striving to fix, we have real first world problems too. I think it's important to call them out and talk about them so that we can address our problems too and shove them under the rug in shame.

There are middle class families in America going bankrupt because of the cost of medical care. Those same families in 1950 would belong to a country club and take annual family vacations. Those families today struggle to figure out how to pay their medical bills, buy prescriptions, somehow put a healthy meal together, get the tutoring their kids need to deal with the impossibly high expectations of children today, and maintain their sanity. Country club membership - not a chance. Family vacations - maybe a week long summer camp for the kids if they can scrape together enough change from the couch cushions. The stress on these families is killing them. How long can a person live with the pressure put on them by our society without collapsing into a state of permanent gibberish?

How can that family afford to buy healthy food? They are mired in debt up to their eyeballs because their kid broke their arm a year ago and insurance only covered $200 of the ER visit. Their other kid had the audacity to contract pneumonia last winter and insurance didn't really cover that either. How did that kid get pneumonia? Some other parent had to make the gut wrenching decision to send their kid to school sick because that parent couldn't risk their job and stay home to be with their child. So their kid infected other kids. The days of keeping sick kids home are gone. The days of staying home from work sick are gone. There is no sick time to speak of, and if there is, often the company the person works for puts so much pressure on their employees to show up no matter the circumstance that they don't feel like they can actually take the necessary time off. Some people die of what started as the common cold because they didn't feel like they could go to bed and stay there until they were better. Or they didn't have the money to spend on the doctor and hoped they would get better.

Let's go back to food. Our food in America is laden with chemicals. Addictive chemicals. And it's the cheapest stuff in the super market. If you want to feed your family organic only, you will spend three times on your food that other families do who stick to the GMO food. Is it worth it to spend that much on organic food - ABSOLUTELY. But can families afford it. No, most families cannot afford to feed their family organic food. But the GMO food is killing them. They stay sick when they get a cold. They have chronic inflammation.They are irritable. They are obese. They have diabetes. They have chronic heart disease. They have high cholesterol. They have a list of medications a mile long, that they can't afford. It's a vicious circle. Can't afford the good stuff, so we buy the crap that makes us sicker, costing ever more in medical expenses.

How do we end this cycle? I don't have an answer. I don't know how to help that middle class family who can barely hang on paycheck to paycheck. I don't know how to help the person addicted to soda, sugar, salt. They don't even know they are addicted to the garbage they are consuming. They aren't even convinced it's garbage. And if they are convinced, well, sometimes, it's just too hard to resist. Have you tried to quit drinking soda lately? It's damned hard. Have you tried to give up sugar? That one will make you want to cry. How about salt? How about anything with GMOs in it? GMO is today what the tobacco industry was in the 90's. We are just now learning how intentionally addictive they are. We are just now learning how deadly they are. Chances are you know someone entering middle age who has been diagnosed with an auto-immune disease or cancer. The rates of these diseases are sky high. GMOs are to blame. But again, how do you afford organic when you can't even fill your prescriptions at the pharmacy?

You have to start somewhere, so why not try cutting back on meat and buying a bit more produce. Even if it's not organic produce, it's a start in the right direction. Personally, I have found that when I meal plan and shop to the list, I save money and can buy organic. But not everyone can be that organized. It's worth a try though. This weekend, sit down and write out the meals you will serve your family that include a protein, veggies, and whole grains. Pinterest is my go-to for good healthy meal ides. Go to the nearest store like Sprouts (if you have that near you) and shop that list and that list only. Hit your local farmers market and buy local. Don't buy cookies, cakes, chips, or any other snacky items. Make your snacks from scratch. You can boil some eggs for snacks during the week. You can have an apple. Try celery and almond butter. But stay away from the fatty, GMO-laden snacks. Try it for a week and see how you feel.

Next on my list is the amount of time kids have to just be kids. Kids have to go to this lesson and that lesson and do their summer homework and during the schoolyear they are so mired in homework and extra-curricular activities that they can't even get to bed on time, or spend 2 hours crying hysterically because they don't understand their homework. And parents can't help them because they don't understand it either. Why are we putting this much pressure on children in the single digits? What happened to play time? Playtime has been shown in study after study to be a valuable learning tool for children. They learn to socialize, navigate tough relationships, stand up for themselves and each other, problem solve, and to be creative. There are schools that have already removed music and art and are now going after literature. The liberal arts are what make our education versatile. Music and art give children the skills of concentration and focus. Literature teaches them that there are other worlds out there to be explored and appreciated. It teaches children that differences are beautiful and not a thing to be feared. There are school boards trying to do away with AP History because it includes lessons on the bad (or shameful) parts of American History. Shouldn't we be learning from the bad parts? How do we know what mistakes not to make again, if we are never taught of their existence in the first place?

These are real First World Problems and it's worth our energy to try and fix them.