The Burning Sight of PovertyI was driving to the mall and thought that I had found a short-cut. I drove through an unpaved road and worried how the tiny rocks and unexpected holes might damage my car. Straight ahead was a tent camped in the middle of an empty piece of land. I had driven by many before and never bothered to look inside. Today, I did.
I saw emptiness, raggedy pieces of cloth that are a tiered excuse for a ceiling and not a single piece of furniture. In my head, I felt relief, "good, no one is living in such conditions." A few seconds later, I saw a mother, holding her daughter who was barely dressed. They both looked like the beggars I often see on a traffic light, the people I refuse to open my windows for. Then, I saw two tiny lambs, drinking water out of an old aluminium tray. That was it, that was their life.
I drove away, and now, I cannot stop thinking about them. I cannot forget that little girl in the middle of this freezing weather. Her mother was cuddling her the exact same way I cuddle Yousef, in her lap with her arms tight around her.
Of course, I tired to think of a million excuses to make myself feel better:" they should try to find a job, they should go to a governmental institution and ask for help, they should this and they should that..." Bottom line is, I was wrong for not stopping and helping in any way I could. I have to do something about it, even if it is just by donating blankets and warms clothes.
If it hurt seeing them in that condition, imagine how painful it is for them to live that way.
2 comments:
Thank you for writing this blog post. It is painful to see such conditions. But as you said seeing the sadness isn't enough. Taking action and doing something to alleviate the sadness is when pain is healed.
May god give us the strength and willingness to always act for others as we do for ourselves!
Thank you for replying.
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