IF YOU HAD NOT BEEN YOU

Has it ever occured to you that you could have been born a different person? That you could have been the child to a different set of parents? That you could have been of different nationality and hence probably be in a different continent?
Surely these thoughts might have crossed your mind at one time or the other. Of all these questions, the one that strikes me most, and I'm sure most other people, is that about being born into a different continent.

Imagining yourself as a different person being a part of another continent brings to mind thoughts of the changes, whether good or bad, that could be made to one's personality and life. It is an intriguing journey of the mind that could lead you through various places where you assume different personalities apart from your real self, in your considerations of the 'could have beens'.

A change of continent could mean a change of race and a change of culture. It could mean being born into a war zone instead of a peaceful place. It could mean living in an under-developed place instead of a well developed country or living in a tropical zone of the earth rather than in a temperate area. It could mean a whole lot more. And the reverse of all those scenarios are true depending on which part of the world one comes from.

Europe and North America may be the dream places for almost anyone born outside these two continents. This comes as no surprise considering that they are the most developed places in the world.

Jobs which don't pay enough to raise a family in other places may provide more than sufficient in Europe and America. It is no wonder that they are the dream places of most family men. Even the affluent, who have no problems economically wish to live in Europe or America due to the fewer occurence of wars and epidemics, if not for economic reasons. And probably, those from places like Africa where snowing is not a common phenomenon may also wish to experience the beauty of snow.

Once an outsider starts to day-dream about the chain of possibilities that could have been if one had been born european or american, one finds himself wishing it were all real.

On the other hand, Africa, Asia and South America unfortunately don't have as many good points in their favour. One thing which someone who is alien to these continents may like to experience is the weather and probably the vegetation together with its wlidlife - the biologists, maybe.

Apart from these pluses and a few others, it is not so good news for these continents. With the exception of only a few countries, Africa, Asia and South America are considered the poorest and least developed. Most of the war-stricken areas in the world are in these three continents. The populace of countries in these areas suffer from diseases, famine and corruption in governments.

When you watch TV and see those feeble mothers carrying their bony, undernourished, swollen-bellied children, does it never occur to you that that woman could have been you and those children your children? It is quite certain that anyone born outside these places who gets struck by the thought that he could have been a different person in one of these continents will count himself lucky.

It is true that it is not all good about Europe and North America just as it is not all bad about Africa, Asia and South America. Like the saying goes, there's nothing perfect. In the same light, there's nothing that is totally bad. But like I always say, it's the majority that represents the whole part.

One interesting question does arise occasionally:
'Why was I not born an American?' or 'Why was I born an African?' or probably 'Why was I not born an Asian?'. There are different shades of the same question depending on where one is coming from and the situation in which one finds himself. When that question occured to me, I found myself thinking that if I had been conceived just a second later or earlier, I might have been brought into a different race or continent altogether. But of course no one can tell the criterion that God uses to distribute us on this planet. And it is quite unfortunate that one cannot wish to be placed in a suitable place, because one cannot wish for something when one does not yet exist.

It all bears down to the fact that everybody should accept their fate and endeavour to make the best out of where they find themselves.
But no matter what, in your day-to-day dealings with other people, do not forget to put yourself in their shoes, because well, you just narrowly missed actually falling into their shoes.