One Leg, Why Worry? Accessing the Inaccessible

Each of us has experienced little things that give us a glimpse into the difficulties of living with restrictions in our lives.  Something as simple as a paper cut can cause us to be frustrated and alter our normal activity to some degree.  In reality, although my broken foot is a little more serious than a paper cut, it is only temporary and just another obstacle to deal with and adapt into our daily function.

Tenacity, holding on alone, with hope

It has now been two weeks since the surgery and I am healing just fine.  I have had way too much time to think and ponder the realities of life.  I feel the worst that I have also confined my beautiful companion and limited her life as well.  Nori is a great person to be with and she is very cautious to make sure I obey the Doctor’s orders.  I, on the other hand am not a good patient!  I think that if there is no pain, why worry and if there is pain, just rub dirt into it cause something hurts everyday anyway.

The most interesting part of this injury is identifying with those people who spend their lives with physical restrictions, some physical condition that makes their life difficult and a persistent struggle. 

Turkey is a country with a higher than average number of handicapped people, higher than the world average, and significantly higher than the United States.  To add to the problem, the streets, the buildings, the geography of Turkey and the cities are just not conducive to the accessibility of the handicapped.  There are no consistent places to access elevators, no level streets, the sidewalks, if they exist are uneven, narrow and that is usually where the people park the cars.  You cannot walk, let alone limp down a straight line on a flat surface for more than a couple of feet.  Even if an access ramp exists, you usually find it after climbing at least one flight of steps and then the ramp angle may be 45 degrees.

So what is a sidewalk for?  No Problem.

Turkey is a social medicine based society and the implication is that all the needs of the people are addressed, but that is the great illusion.  There is a structure to help, but it is not available to everyone and it is certainly not readily accessible.  Like every society in the world, the wealthy can get what they need or want, the middle class can figure out how to make things work and the poor make do.  No matter where you go, the basic situation is the same.

Laws, regulation and adaptations might improve the plight of those in need, but there is in fact only one solution.  That solution is love.  No matter the location, no matter the condition, the only way we address the problem is to raise the individual in a situation where people care, where people give and where people accept and love.  We have to reach out and touch lives and truly serve those in need.  We literally must care.  Care deeply and reach out to help.  We cannot simply see that means are possible; we have to make things happen.  We have to fight for what is right and perhaps stretch our processes to really serve.

Just an inconvenient side street

If we are to sustain those in need, we must push, struggle and challenge the status quo to find ways that fit our ability to serve.  We need members, missionaries and hopefully leaders that are willing to go out on a limb to make service and love succeed.   We cannot be buffeted by the simple impressions that opportunities do not exist.

It is not all that steep if you have legs.