Challenged // Moriah Nelson

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            Trevor Noah has an incredible way with words-he pulls you into his story and you are almost able to empathize with his experiences as if you, too, were there experiencing them. I’m really excited to continue reading Born a Crime, though saddened to already read of the foreshadowing of Trevor’s mother. 
            Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah is shown to be a countercultural woman. She is determined to create and pursue dreams which the apartheid culture didn’t even want her to know were possibly real. Patricia’s “sheer force of will” changed the forced projected extent of her life and her legacy for Trevor (Noah 73). Reading Trevor’s accounts of his life and the life of his mother has challenged me to remember to get outside of my “bubble”. I can easily get so wrapped up in assignments, social media’s trends, and trying to simply stay afloat that I miss the fact that there are others outside of my bubble who are also living, laughing, and struggling. Early in his book, Trevor remarks, “People are getting hurt, and just because it’s not happening to you doesn’t mean it’s not happening” (57). I think that can be applied to history as well: just because it didn’t happen to us (our family; our religion; our country) doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. 
            I’m reminded of Philippians 2:4 as a call to care for others and to love our neighbor (and will include it here as Trevor’s mom might have in one of her letters): 
             “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
            - Philippians 2:4
            Born a Crime is challenging me to recognize my own selfish mindsets and desires and make sure I am not living with blinders to suffering to “preserve my comfort”, as some of the less-oppressed races may have been tempted to live while under apartheid. I want to care for others and "seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly" to love my neighbor and love God. Like so many other books we’ve read this semester, I’m curious to see how the perspective presented in Born a Crime continues to broaden my understanding of the world and the struggles in it.  

I commented on Rachael and Eliza's posts.

Comments

Caroline Tucker said…
Moriah, your post is so deep and thoughtful! I agree. I really like the line about stuff not happening to us does not mean it is not happening too. It reminded me of the events that are going on around us. That even if the virus is not affecting us does not mean it is not there. However, it can be related to other situations. One situation could be religious persecution. We need to remember that there are things that affect people that might or never will affect us. We need to be mindful of that and still be a light and witness to those people.
April 6, 2020 at 2:22 PM
AnnaKate Burleson said…
As usual, your post was a great and thought-provoking read. This novel is yet another call to action, but it is a little different than the ones we've read thus far because this was happening so recently. This isn't 17th century Japan. This was South Africa less than 75 years ago. People the same age as our parents or even older siblings remember these events just as vividly as Trevor Noah. This is definitely a call to be compassionate and a call to be understanding. Jeremiah 29 calls us to seek the welfare of the city that we are sent to, and hearing stories of cities like Soweto that were literally built to be oppressed just makes me so much more eager to love my neighbors and protect them from harm.
April 6, 2020 at 5:14 PM
Cade Wood said…
I agree with you, Moriah! The beginning of the book had me hooked, and that hasn't really happened yet in honors this semester. He definitely has a way of drawing one in and making them somehow relate to his story even though few of us, if any, have been through similar situations. On top of that, within the first 10 pages, one could tell Trevor's mother was quite an impressive woman.
April 6, 2020 at 7:46 PM
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