|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Eradicating The Heart of Poverty
Poverty can sometimes only be a state of mind, based on our perception and what we value in life. It is also a disheartening reality for many. The Webster dictionary describes poverty as having a chronic need for money and material goods. How many of us in America one of the richest countries in the world, have this chronic need to have and desire more and more? Earlier this year I visited my native country of Belize. A relative of mine invited me to her country home. I noticed that my cousin took a lot of food supplies with her. I did not question her actions but noted that she said we were going for one night. After we got to our destination, I went exploring by myself. When I returned she invited me to accompany her as she visited with some of the local villagers. She drove about a mile along a lagoon that was partially dried up. As we neared the end of the sand path she pulled up in front of a shack. She greeted a rather plump girl who appeared very young. As they exchanged greetings, the woman's face lit up. My cousin handed her a large portion of the food supply she had brought with her. The woman thanked her and went on to say she had some wonderful news. Without hesitating she began to narrate the events of her day. She attended church that morning. After the service commenced the pastor placed fifty dollars in her hands! She said, she rejoiced as she walked back home. "When I left for church this morning she continued, I did not have any money. There wasn't any food in my house to feed my children." She ended with; "Something tells me that this is only the beginning of many good things to come." Later that day, after our initial encounter I talked with her a little more. I asked her about her family and children. She was indeed very young. I was almost twice her age. I did not see that we had much in common, with having a number of children as the exception. I shared that with her. I did not see the point in sharing much else. She was bubbly and cheerful the whole time we chatted. I responded to her in our native tongue. Doing so enabled me to identify a little more with her. She was blessing me in an unusually way. I began to examine myself. If I was ever poor I was not cognizance of it. This woman had a richness of spirit. Did this is mean that I now possessed a poorness of soul? Or had my priorities changed? How could that poverty-stricken woman be so satisfied with her nothingness? I have so much and I aspire to have much more. Hunger is a daunting reality that ravishes the body and eventually deprives it of its very being. Slavery and abuse brings about poverty for many. They bind up any one who becomes a victim to any of them. Of any of these do we know which the more potent offenders are? In our quest to eradicate poverty should we try to eliminate every circumstance that brings it into being? Charity begins at home. If we are unable to see the need of those around us, chances are that we will not be able to comprehend the needs of others we are not familiar with. Aren't our own children starving for our love and attention? Do we as parents even have enough time for ourselves? Is our busyness justified because it emanates from our trying to fill our children's and our own chronic need for money and material things? Are we in our country of abundance dying because we have this deep hunger within our souls? Are we enslaved by our possessions? Is this the reason we are less able to give? Are we trying to fill our own hunger with material wealth and entertainment? Is this the reason our deprived children are dying via their own hands? Can we truly as another sort of improvised nation make a significant contribution when we too are suffering as a result of our own wants? I applaud Live 8 for the wonderful job they are doing in bringing about world wide awareness. After coming face to face with poverty, I had to examine my own thought process. I made no attempt to influence the young woman's beliefs or to discourage or encourage her with my ideals. I believe that the first step is to accept that wealth and poverty come in many forms. People can be rich with material things but poor in morals and relationships. In contrast others can be poor in material things but content with the things that bring meaning to their lives. It is essential however, that all human beings have the basic necessities, like clean water, food and shelter. For the most part, funds contributed to aid in providing these basic needs are not enough to reach all areas of our world. Individually one may not be able to contribute a large portion of money but together our help makes a difference. Who needs twelve pairs of shoes when they can only wear one pair at a time? Think about contributing the four dollars you spend a day for coffee, to help provide clean water for an entire village. Ruth Andrews Garnes was born in Belize the second of six children. She moved to New York City at age eighteen. After studying nursing she worked in the emergency room in Bellevue Hospital. She currently resides with her husband and seven children in the Houston Texas area. Having always had a heart for hurting children she adopted four sisters. Through her writings she hopes to be able to make a difference to hurting children everywhere by giving a voice to their struggles. visit her web-site at home.earthlink.net/~rgarnes">http://home.earthlink.net/~rgarnes
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
Breaking Bonds I am just out of high school, and I have come to realize what I really want is completely out of my family's standards. I come from an Indian family, where the standards are extremely high. The Amazing Power of the Human Will The human will is the most incredible thing. I believe it is the human will that keeps us going, when everyone else expects us to sit, or even quit. My name is Smarty Jones -- Embracing Gods Glory Our deepest fear us not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. What is Passion? What is passion? Recently after a presentation, I was once again thanked for my passion. The compliment was genuinely given, as was my returned thank you. What Does it Take to Make Life Better? What does it take for you to pay attention?You've probably heard this said, or said it yourself sometime, "I just realised how precious life is." Maybe you heard it when a relative died or maybe you said it after an accident or some other emotional event, but did you stop to consider the grander meaning to what you say?What if every experience in your life is sent to you so you can understand who you are and what your life is all about?Just for a moment, consider the possibilities within that question. Jerrys Yo-Yo The blaring sound leapt under Jerry's skin and strangled him awake in an instant. His eyes popped open in terror and for a darkened moment he forgot where he was. The Day I First Believed I was eight years old, over four decades ago and I remember this event as though it was yesterday. It was a beautiful but cold and blistering winter day in the city of Detroit. Neither A Borrower Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 4, 2002I moved from Los Angeles to Europe with my husband and children. My sister's husband left her with three children. Nuthin but Blue Skies "Welcome to Canada," Ken shouted to me over the roar of the rain and thunder. A constant downpour kept the photography workshop indoors. Nine Lives Direct Answers - Column for the week of September 2, 2002My husband of four years has been arrested for the fourth time for hurting me. This time he strangled me. Ask the Angels - Get Specific ! There are Angels for everything and they are just waiting for us to ask for their help. They can't help if we don't ask. Go On ! Give your Enemy a Hug Another preposterous idea from yours truly, even the thought makes some people shudder.My husband had been having difficulty with an old mate, whenever he met him there were sneers and snide comments. The Importance of Friendship My students and clients have constantly heard me stress that our Martial Art is more than just a physical discipline; that it is a discipline that develops both the mind and body. This is so important that Soke Masaaki Hatsumi, the grand master of our lineages, has made it the primary thrust of just about every one of his books about Ninpo and Martial Arts in general. Taking Life Head On "We are built to conquer environment, solve problems, achieve goals and we find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve." - Maxwell Maltz in Psycho-Cybernetics (1960)I have always taken life head on because I had no choice. How To Be Secure In An Insecure World Most of us believe that our happiness and security are dependent upon our relationships, work, income and the external events that take place in our lives. When things are going well there is a sense of well-being and safety. Smile! Banish Your Fear Changing our physiology is one of the best ways to change the way we think and feel. Smiling (and I don't mean just a little smile - a big grin will do!) has the ability to change how we feel in an instant. Anamcara - The Blessing of Peace "Come out of the circle of time and into the circle of love."Jelaluddin Rumi. Information -- Schminformation, Enough Already! We are drowning in it, our grey matter is swollen with it, half the time when we need a piece of it and we know it is "in there" somewhere, we can't access it because the poor Grey Matter Computer is so jammed it takes forever to search for the file and then it's usually "just lost" or was mistakenly deleted. And that's just our brains. A Pre-existing Condition Direct Answers - Column for the week of December 2, 2002I am 25 and have been married for two years. This past August I began an affair with my husband's younger brother. Giving Can Overcome Language Differences I recently had to take a trip to Germany. It has been more than ten years since making my last international trip.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Interesting sites: site map- backup program- Bali travel guide haba legetj- V2 snus- |