Taken for Granted

In these difficult economic times, when we are confronted daily with messages of governmental overspending and political polarization, it’s easy to forget what a beacon in the world the United States continues to be. Certainly we have real challenges as a nation, but spend a single day with a visitor from a third-world country and you will be quickly reminded of how blessed we Americans really are.

A few weeks ago, the Door County Community Foundation was visited by a gentleman from the African nation of Malawi. Charles Laini was spending time with various non-profit organizations in the hopes that he might learn lessons to take home with him. This father of two is a teacher participating in an exchange program facilitated by Lakeland College in Sheboygan. The college arranged for our new Malawian friend to spend a day with us in Door County.

One of the first observations from our visitor was how “senior” the people of Door County appeared to be. Certainly we all know that Door County’s population is among the oldest in Wisconsin, but only when I looked up the statistics did I fully realize how striking our community must appear to our Malawian guest. The median age in the United States is 37 years old. In Door County, it’s 43.

In Malawi, the median age is 17 years old.

Consider the implications of this simple fact. Malawi is a nation where more than half the citizens are still children according to U.S. standards. What would our country be like if the majority of our people were too young to vote, too young to work full-time, to pay taxes or contribute to the economy in a meaningful way.

The scourge of HIV is devastating the population of Malawi. Twelve percent of Malawians are HIV positive (as opposed to about one half of one percent of Americans). Combined with poor quality health care and exceptional levels of poverty, this has caused the life expectancy of a Malawian to fall to a mere 51 years.

Once again, imagine how this reality would impact our own society. As I look about Door County and see our greatest civic leaders, prominent business people, and those who serve on our charitable boards of directors, the majority of them are older than 51. So much of a society’s collective wisdom is born of a lifetime of experience. How diminished would Door County be if our population of seasoned community leaders was virtually non-existent.

Another interesting observation was the fact that Laini had such tremendous respect for those of us who work for charities or serve on their boards of directors. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are essentially the international equivalent of U.S. non-profit organizations. In Malawi, as in most third-world nations, NGOs are generally recognized to be among the most honest and noble of institutions.

In countries where governmental corruption is a given, and services are first made available to those with the right political connections, NGOs are often viewed as the organizations which treat people the most fairly.

But of all the observations Laini made, perhaps the most enlightening reminder to me were his comments on the stability of our nation and the fragility of his own.

Malawi’s constitution is a mere 15 years old. Just six years ago the previous president attempted to rewrite the constitution so he could remain in office beyond his term. Laini comes from a region in which armed conflict is a common way of settling political differences.

In our country, we hear the talking heads on television and radio proclaiming that our current president is ignoring the U.S. Constitution and turning our nation into a communist state. A few years ago, a different set of talking heads were telling us that the last president was ignoring the U.S. Constitution and turning our nation into a “big brother” police state.

The truth is that our nation survived the last president and will survive this one as well. Our political institutions have been in place for more than 220 years now. Physical violence plays almost no role in our political differences. And on the rare occasion when it does, it’s overwhelmingly condemned from all parts of the ideological spectrum.

Our struggle to create a “more perfect union” continues, but our conflicts are in the ideological realm and our weapons of choice are the words we use. Our republic remains a shining example to which the much of the world still aspires.

We are truly lucky to live in the United States of America. Thanks to you, my new Malawian friend, for reminding me how blessed we really are.

Bret Bicoy is President & CEO of the Door County Community Foundation. In 2008, he and his wife Cari returned to Wisconsin to raise their six children in the community they love. Contact him at [email protected].