this past sunday, i went to creekside and ken talked about affluenza. we went to 8:30AM service and between all ken's points, the one thing that resonated with me was:
there's a reason you have this much.
sometimes i just sit and marvel at how blessed i am. with food on the table, clothes on my back, and a roof over my head, i sit in the richest 25% of the world. whether or not i actually deserve to be here is not an issue that i want to wrap my head around. instead of wondering if there is also a reason that there are millions of people that live in poverty in our world, the important thing is to realize just that. that today, in the world that i live, there is an incredible gap between the affluent and those living in poverty. and instead of focusing why and how this happened, the important thing to focus on 'what can i do with all this?'
share.
because it's not fair that i get the choice between dasani, aquafina, nestle, vitamin or tap water when women in africa filter their water through their dresses to get rid of leeches (scott harrison's latest charity: water display).
when i say 'share' i dont mean that i'm going to fill 2 suitcases with all my material possessions and give every last item away to the people i meet in Malawi (however if a woman really really wanted my grey long hoodie that has travelled the world with me, it's all hers). a big misconception is that people in poverty are not happy with what they have. it's a well-known fact that money does not have a direct correlation with happiness. just as billionaires can be depressed, those in poverty can also be joyful. i want to share the knowledge i've gained, the education i've acquired, the passion i have for a better world, and all the material goods i've been blessed with to in turn bless others. i want to share what i have, not in hopes to provide a "better life" but to provide a life in which 10-year-old girls are not orphaned and left to care for 4 siblings, a life in which towns can experience the freshness of clean water, and a life where teens worry about how to celebrate their next birthday instead of worrying if they'll outlive hiv/aids to get to their next birthday.
please share (:
24 March 2009
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completely agreed with every single word and thank you for writing this. i have no idea why i have the life i have now and i don't think i deserve any of it more than the girl who needs to leave school to care for the 4 siblings. sometimes none of this make sense to me. at times this all feel overwhelming. but the very least we can do is just what you're doing - keep sharing.
ReplyDeleteRuby (:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! It's really easy to sit here and just overwhelm myself all the global issues our generation is facing: then environment, poverty, HIV/AIDS, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. It's an unfortunate truth that our world lacks justice. How come we worry about life while those down the street or across the ocean have to worry about living?
=\ It's mind-boggling.
Let's just think forward though and just do what we're doing to the best of our abilities =)
PS. I have a book recommendation for you.