Let’s paint two pictures.
The first, a family that has a roof over their heads, food in the fridge, money in the bank. The second, a family that is struggling to find food, who lives in poverty, not a piaster to their name. These are very basic pictures, because as you know, each family faces many obstacles in their lifetime.
Going more in-depth, we could factor in family issues, self-fulfillment, serious illness, death, mental diseases, tragedy, and the list can keep on going because this life is filled with the absolute best and absolute worst situations anyone could encounter. One minute you could be happy beyond belief, the next minute you could be completely devastated, through no fault of your own, but simply by living.
I had the huge privilege to spend time with the population’s most poor suburbs in the country. Forget about having a roof, forget about anyone called a “doctor” these people are more fittingly the second picture previously mentioned.
I met people who are dealing with diseases that, in any developed area, would be non-existent because of vaccines and advances in medicine. I’ve spoken with people who literally have had their family abandon them because of mental illness, or from “shame.” I’ve seen children aggressively searching through garbage to find their source of food for their family’s next meal.
I, on the other hand, must admit, I fit more into the first picture of what a family could look like. What bothers me, is I can’t understand why, when interacting with these people, I feel joy flowing out of them like the Nile flows with water. I look towards myself, and deep inside, and I don’t have this joy. I am easily bothered by my work, by the weather, by the increasing prices of sugar and oil because of our “beloved” President. Every day for me is a struggle. Every few minutes I hear myself complaining about this and that, and I even become annoyed hearing the words that come out of my own mouth.
These people who are living in poverty have had the absolute worst life has to offer. And yet, their happiness is as clear as the sky. Why? Where are they getting their joy from? Why are they happy when they have the most terrible life? , the answer will be in the second part of this article.
