On the Right Side of the Tracks

Warning, sporadic thoughts ahead. These are just some thoughts I was thinking on my recent Thanksgiving cruise to Mexico with my wife, my parents, and her dad and step mom.

Sometimes I think that our success in this world all comes down to which side of the tracks you were born. Chances are, if you are reading this, you were born on the same side that I was. I have never worried about when I was going to eat next, where I was going to sleep at night (even in my touring days I could at least sleep in the van), or how I was going to pay the heating bills over the winter. The cruise was great fun, and spending time, especially on a cruise, with family is always nice. But there was something that nagged me the whole time. I would say that 95% of the cruise ship's staff (waiters, cooks, maids, maintenance) were from outside the US. And about 85% of those were from third world countries such as Honduras, Nicaragua, Mymar, Thailand, etc. As I thought about these staffers, I couldn't help but wonder about their family. In talking with some of the staff, I found out that Carnival employees work for 8 months straight, and then go home for vacation for 2 months. Most of these people have wives/husbands and kids at home, that they see every eight months. In thinking about this, I realize that they are probably happy to have the opportunity to make good money to provide for their families. They even get retirement plans, which seems pretty unlikely for most people in a place like Honduras. But what really bums me out, is that they even had to make the decision to take this job. None of us have ever been so desperate for a "good" job that we would be willing to be away from our loved ones for 8 months at a time. It just makes me reflect on how lucky I am. May I never forget that I am so blessed... and I may I never forget to try and make a difference in this system, where being born on the right side of the tracks determines the course of life.