Observation.

Today we travelled around to some of the poorest parts of the city. It’s nothing that I haven’t seen before—basically, absolute poverty accompanied by horrific smells from unidentified sources, infinite litter, and open sewers that children run and play in. These are both horrible travesties and also only inconveniences. Perspective is the key. What one usually notices most when they go to these areas is that the poverty is also accompanied by smiling faces, the sounds of singing, and children playing. Not that this makes up for any of the injustices that the world has placed on these people, but it reminds the visitor or the observer that resiliency is actually a beautiful trait that belongs to the human race. Merriam-Webster defines resiliency as, “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change”. People living in poverty all over the world know the true meaning of resiliency. Yes, bad things have happened to me and I have found myself in sad or unfortunate situations, but the poor people of the world know what it’s like to have to be resilient on a daily basis. They do it for themselves and their families.

Now I’m sure if I asked any of these people if they preferred to have more money, a better life, or a stable place to live, of course they would say yes. Then again, most Americans who have comfortable lifestyles and plenty of money and resources would also say that they wished for more. Where is the right place to stop? I’m sure that there is no clear-cut answer to this question, but it’s something to think about. Is it wrong to enjoy one’s own hard work and the material benefits that are reaped? In my opinion, no there is nothing wrong with this. I remember the first time I returned from Guatemala. I was almost overcome from this incredible feeling of guilt—so much so that I really wanted to change everything about my lifestyle. Lately in my life, though, I have learned that there has to be a balance (IYFDers know all about “balance”, haha) between feelings of deep empathy, feelings of guilt about our own lifestyle, and our own abilities to function in working with people to alleviate these issues of the world. I’ve learned that if I bring myself to feel guilty about owning an iPod, having a savings account that doesn’t get donated to charity, or simply being raised in America, that I will get nowhere very quickly. Many people prefer to live their lives not acknowledging that this level of poverty exists in the world, because usually it comes with the realization or the belief that we are all a part of it, no matter how much we try. Now before this blog posting becomes a sermon (because that is not what I want it to be), let’s just say that today has caused me to think a lot about my purpose and how much I will really be able to accomplish here. This again depends on perspective. On the macro level, I’m a mere dot that may have an effect on some of the dots around me, but it really won’t make a difference in the whole picture. On the micro level, though, I may be able to have a huge impact on the children I work with. Not only this, but they will have a bigger impact on my life than they can ever realize.

Wow, this is a serious blog. Don’t worry, I am still chipper and happy Lynn!