50 Reasons I’m Lucky to Live in the West

I was born in Canada – lucky by birth.  

There is much that I, and most westerners, take for granted,  especially those that haven’t traveled. A trip to Africa, specifically Uganda was a wake-up call and a reminder of just what a good life I lead. There’s plenty to love about Uganda but live is hard here. And short.

For all the complainers out there – I suggest a quick trip to a developing country to put things in perspective. You won’t be moaning anymore. And that’s not to suggest that there aren’t major improvements we in the west can make but read on for my views.

50 Reasons Why I’m Lucky to Live in the West

1. Clean water is the norm – not the exception. I don’t need to travel with a water filter and disinfecting drops.
2. Food is plentiful for most. And there is variety.
3. Fatal childhood diseases are rare.
4. Malaria is almost unheard of though Florida has reported a few cases recently.
5. We have noise bylaws. Clubs and bars are not located in residential areas. You don’t have to wait for the band to finish at 1:30am to fall asleep.
6. Police, fire and ambulance are only a call away.
7. We have replaced rickety, wooden scaffolding in the workplace with durable metal scaffolding.
   

   Scaffolding on a Ugandan building

8. Workplace safety is important and strict laws are in place.
9. You cannot be forced to work seven days a week. If you do, you are properly compensated.
10. There is a safety net for the very poor – it’s not always great but you’re unlikely to starve in the west.
11. Low emissions vehicles are the norm now. Polluters can be fined. I rarely have to breathe choking, black diesel fumes.
12. People can marry whomever they want. We can follow our heart and not our tribe.
13. Women who remain single are not an oddity.
14. Women have control over the number of children they have.
15. The internet is everywhere.
16. Internet service is fast and getting faster. Plus it’s cheap.
17. The internet is reliable.
18. Our governments don’t shut down the internet and cut phone lines.
19. We have mostly smooth roads…and drainage ditches. Our roads don’t become a mud hole every time it rains.
20. Roads are reasonably safe. The biggest cause of mortality for North Americans oversea is traffic accidents.
21. Traffic may be bad in the west but nothing compares to what I have seen on a rainy day in Nairobi.
22. The poor have free healthcare.
23. Drugs are widely available. Drugs for hospitals are not resold in private clinics.
24. Blackberries don’t cost $US1000.
25. Education is available for everyone. Not just for boys.
    

    Teacher & little girl in a Tanzanian school

26. Education is free until you finish high school. Families aren’t forced to choose between eating and studying.
27. University education is widely available – though not always affordable.
28. We have laws for the humane treatment of animals – I’m thinking about your average pet here and not chickens and livestock where we need to improve.
29. It’s easy to get a passport.
30. Visas for other countries are almost always easy and quick to get. We are not looked upon with suspicion when we apply for a visa.
31. Journalists can write what they want.
32. We have a justice system that is not perfect but by and large isn’t corrupt. Mostly people have faith in it.
33. Our intelligence is not called into question because of where we live.
34. Environmental laws are now on the books. We’ve made plenty of messes but at least now we’re working to fix them.
35. We live into our 70′s and 80′s. You’d be lucky to see 60 in a developing country.
36. AIDS drugs are widely available. We don’t have to sell the drugs that save lives to eat.
37. Orphans are a rarity.
    

    Orphans from the Luwero district of Uganda - who had land bought from them by students at the KiBO Foundation

38. Mail delivery and courier services work…quickly.
39. Banks and ATM machines are everywhere. You rarely have to wait more than 10 minutes in a lineup.
40. We can own private property.
41. Elections take place on a regular basis. Political leaders cannot hold office for decades at a time.
42. We can hold differing political views without being jailed and beaten.
43. Political leaders cannot squirrel away billions in their own personal bank accounts while the general population suffers.
44. In Canada at least, you can get married if you are a gay- which beats jail time or death sentences in much of the world.
45. Women can vote. Just think of what the Arab world would look like if women voted.
46. Female circumcision is illegal.
47. Women can drive.
48. People have religious freedom – though that’s not to say that there isn’t some discrimination.
49. You can move around a country without constant identity checks. We aren’t afraid of the police. (This doesn’t apply to areas around the Mexico-US border.)
50. If we choose to, we can do just about anything we want to do – unbound by convention.

Do you think you’re lucky living in the West or am I delusional?

Leigh McAdam

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