Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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I like to come up with my own material for blogs…or at least my own topics but every now and then I come across a blog I feel the need to share.  This is the second blog of fellow August racer Liz Bureman that I have felt that way about.  She’s just a very talented writer and has a way of putting words around things that I would never be able to do.  With that being said, I’d like to share an entry she wrote entitled, “When rights become privileges.”
 
 
We’ve got it pretty good here in the United States.  Despite the political tug-of-war and party factioning that is pretty much a given by now in DC, and as much as we may or may not question the values of society, it’s really not that bad.  We’ve still got our basic inalienable rights as set up by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  And some of these rights are just awesome.  For example:

 
First Amendment: We can talk about how much we like or dislike the political party currently in power, we can read articles from people who agree or disagree with us on that matter, and we can bring people together publicly to support or protest matters of legislation, all without fear of the military or government police rounding us up and throwing us into paddy wagons to be shipped off to prison.
 
Fifth Amendment: If someone accuses you of kidnapping or another serious crime, you’re not going to be put away without sufficient evidence and a fair chance to prove (or disprove) your innocence.
 
Twelfth, Fifteenth, Nineteenth, and Twenty-Sixth Amendments: We get to pick our leaders.  And that “we” includes all races and genders.  And we get to be involved in the political process as early as our senior year of high school.
 

Rock on, Founding Fathers.

 
In addition to our Constitutional rights, we’ve got our rights that we take for granted:
– The right to a full stomach and three (or more) meals a day
– The right to adequate clothing for the climate
– The right to a bed and a full night’s sleep
– The right to a roof over our heads
– The right to a shower every day
– The right to safety and security
– The right to a clean bill of health
 
So what happens when we give up those rights, when those rights become privileges that we don’t have?
 
Two weeks from tomorrow, I’ll start finding out.
 
There are no guarantees on this trip.  I am not promised an adequate and balanced diet.  I am not promised shelter other than the tent I provide for myself.  I am not promised restful nights of sleep, nor am I promised the hours of sleep.  I am not promised regular showers, nor am I promised running water.  I am not promised protection from parasites or diseases.  I am not even promised that I will live through this trip. (Disclaimer: everyone who has participated in the four years of the World Race has made it home in one living piece.  I’m not too worried about this one.)
 
Not everyone in the world has these so-called rights.  We’re living with them, as they do.  To do so, we’re letting go of our rights and expectations as best we can.  And if that means that I sleep on the ground in a tent, I’m laying out my sleeping bag.  If that means my diet is limited, I’m going to learn as many rice-and-beans recipes as I can.  If that means that I’ll be lucky to bathe once a week…well, I’ll get over it.
 
But that’s how the locals live.  And if they can spend their whole lives doing it, I can do it for eleven months.