I finally finished reading Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I was familiar with Ali’s story via online videos of her talks, but reading her book gave me a much deeper appreciation of her struggles and accomplishments.
What struck me most powerfully as I read along was the contrast between Ali’s journey through life and my own. She and I are just about the same age. So, while she was having her genitals excised as a young child in Africa, at that exact moment in time I was in upstate New York, likely playing video games or watching “Little House on the Prairie.” When she was getting her head bashed in as a teenager for not realizing her proper place as a female, I was probably at the mall with my friends, trying to decide whether to get a slice of pizza or a cheeseburger. And when she was rescuing starving refugees, I may have been out drinking at a frat party. Two people, growing up on the planet Earth at the same point in history, yet existing in utter different worlds.
Growing up, I simply had no sense of what was going on around the world, of the way people struggle for and are often denied the basic liberties I take for granted. I’ve “known,” abstractly, through watching the news, that I live a life of privilege, but it wasn’t until I lived in Mexico last year that I truly realized just how fortunate I am to have been born to caring, middle class Americans in 1970.
Another thing that struck me: We worry so much about how every little misstep we make as parents will impact our children later in life. Well, here we have this woman who was beaten, degraded and devalued throughout her childhood, yet she went on to become a totally awesome person, a true hero really. So many of us have had every advantage, have been sheltered from every adversity, and yet still so often feel powerless to create positive change in our lives and in the world. Why is that?
Speaking for myself, I never fail to find some excuse—student loan debt is my favorite—for putting off my big dreams and best intentions. The truth is, there is nothing in my way except phantoms and fear. Infidel has reminded me of this, and left me feeling grateful and inspired.