By Stan Le Quire of Eastern University and Jay Renfro, member of Nashville A Rocha
Jay and Stan are two guys who dream about changing the world. Together, they are reading Paul Farmer’s To Repair the World. Paul has a great reputation as someone who changes the world. This week, Jay and Stan are talking about the fourth of Farmer’s speeches, “The Story of the Inhaler”.
JAY TO STAN: “The story he tells in this chapter shows how our everyday gadgets may seem like miracles to people who don’t have the privilege of using them every day. How do we live in a world of privilege without becoming jaded? Do you think there’s any connection to appreciating privilege and using privilege to bless others?”
STAN: Paul Farmer had the privilege of an inhaler. He helped a powerless, Haitian man nearing death from an asthma attack. It’s a perfect story showing the clash between privilege and powerlessness. I believe that privilege and powerlessness are two ends of the human continuum. While there are many, many stops along the continuum, everyone is to some degree either privileged or powerless. I also believe it is best for each of us to understand and to acknowledge without guilt where we stand. (Please understand that “acknowledge” does NOT mean acquiesce). The privileged must make every attempt to move toward powerlessness; the powerless must do all they can to secure privilege and its opportunities. Perhaps one way for the privileged to move toward powerlessness is to heed the words of Jesus: “To whom much is given much will be required” (Luke 12:48). Perhaps privilege is indeed a “blessing” that is best passed on to others. Perhaps a greater privilege than checking off a bucket list of exotic destinations or purchasing consumer goods simply for status is to share our opportunities and advantages with others so that they might move from powerlessness and toward opportunity.
STAN TO JAY: “Farmer follows his inhaler story with three points. Jay, I want to hear you on his 3rd point. How does inequality and injustice make fools of the privileged?”
JAY: Yeah, I’d have to agree– charity is foolishness. Wait…what? Let me explain. In his story Farmer feels foolish for going out of his way to help his patient, foolish again when the solution is so simple (an inhaler), and foolish once more when the people of his community praise him for what they consider a miraculous display of his medical wisdom. But then Farmer feels a different kind of foolish as he returns home and thinks about how simple it all was and how close he was to not saving this man’s life.
I think we’re all fools, all the time. Now don’t get mad because that might not be such a bad thing, depending on whose fool you are. A talented, capable professional who gives up a generous income to help those without privilege appears like a fool to the world—and why wouldn’t he? Then again, the talented, capable professional who uses his gifts/privilege/blessings/talents to do well for himself and make a golden calf of that privilege is a fool to those who tell the story of Christ’s future redemption in this world. Either way you’re a fool, either way you’re bowing down to someone.
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