I had the opportunity to study in Nigeria where I confronted not only ignorance on my part but it forced me to stare in the face of diversity of religion, to feel the loneliness of being in the minority and to witness profound poverty as well as the sad lack of education, law and community infrastructure in this nation. Each one of those areas is a separate testimony that changed my life but one major one kicked my consumerism in the gut and I got the glorious opportunity to “grow in the grace of generosity that flow from compassionate hearts without thought of return.” (D and C 163:9)
Nigeria had been very wealthy in the 1970’s, due to the discovery of off-shore oil. This wealth created a boom for the economy as well as greed. Where there had been no money, now there was plenty and everyone in power wanted to accumulate more….if not all of it. Once there was something to fight over, prejudice and injustices increased depending on your religious beliefs and what religion was in power at any one time. Now in 1999, the last president had died and his wife was stopped at the airport with an insane amount of bags, packed with currency and headed to Switzerland.
Meanwhile, life continued for the average Nigerian who was making an average of $300 per year…yes, per year! The norm was such that everything ran on bribes and favoritism to get anything accomplished. We had to bribe our way into the country and then again when we left. Water ran when the water company and the electric company were not fighting. We had electricity when community officials were not fighting with the electrical board. At any time in the day the water and/or electricity could just stop. Things fell apart, never to be repaired. Goods were minimal and unvaried. Food was limited to chicken and chips, spiced rice and some vegetable yam dishes so spicy hot they melted the spoon! The only growing business was religion as it was once stated that ‘your soul is the only thing your government cannot take from you, but they would if they could make a profit on it”.
It was a lot to take in but the seriousness of it hit me when I bought a bright tie-dyed Nigerian dress with machine embroidery on it. I wore it one day to a meeting and a Nigerian asked me where the party was that I was attending. I was puzzled as I was just going to a lecture, so I asked why do he thought I was going to a formal occasion? He said, it was because I was wearing an obvious party dress. I had thought nothing of it as it had cost me only $30 and that was not unreasonable for the times and our American income at the time.
And then it hit me, at an average annual income of $30,000 for an American to buy a $30 dress that was only 1/1000th of my yearly income. To a Nigerian, buying the same $30 dress and earning $300 a year, made it 1/10th of their yearly income. If I had bought a dress for 1/10th of my income it would have cost me $3000, no wonder he thought I was on my way to a party!
I started then to translate everything I bought through this filter. Food, clothing and gifts…all mounted up. I had brought $400 to Nigeria for my expenses…more than the average income for one year!!! I began to appreciate so much more all the little gifts and outreach from our Nigerian colleagues so much more.
That was a huge awakening to my thoughts on consumerism. Once I got home, it took me 6 months to go clothes shopping. The varieties and abundances overwhelmed me. I never realized how glutted we are with choices! I hugged my water heater. I cried when I had my first meal in a restaurant that offered not only a variety of entrees but also served green vegetables that were still green. Tears welled up at the sight of clean, fluffy towels and a hot water bath.
I stood in the middle of the grocery store and marveled at all we the different foods: fresh, frozen OR canned!!! Wowsa!! Here we can be gluten free or vegan by choice, not by necessity! And I realized how we take for granted the social nets that maintain us; schools, fire and police protection, aid to children, libraries full of books, playgrounds, parks, clean water, sewer systems, electricity, roads, public transportation, health care, the list goes on…all missing in most part throughout Nigeria.
After this experience, the misconception of “s/he who dies with the most things wins” became very evident and I became more generous with my time and money… reflecting on how much it would enrich the other rather than how much could we afford. I still have lots to learn. I still have lots to give away. I still have my precious things but they are precious not in monetary price but in memories. I know what Jesus meant when he said “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Mark 8:33) When we put aside human concerns about things and the accumulation of them, we open ourselves to the universe which blesses us beyond measure with gifts of understanding, joy and compassion.
My Lenten prayer for you, is that you have an opportunity to look at the world through different lenses of relative costs, wealth, religion, custom, education and realize that there is so much more to learn. You don’t have to leave your home, just open your minds to the possibilities
DC 163: 10b…..Come before your Eternal Creator with open minds and hearts and discover the blessings of the gospel anew. Be vulnerable to divine grace.
