Picture yourself under a palm tree with the breeze in your hair looking out into the crystal clear blue green ocean with the waves breaking on the white sand.
Sounds like paradise right? Wrong.
This isn't paradise; this is the Phillipines, Oelango Island, home to many. On a washing line between the palm trees are pieces of colorful old clothing, blowing in the breeze. The type of clothing that I know my mom wouldn't even consider giving to the welfare because of th
e state it is in. This is evidence of my mom's age old words "Eat all your food, there are kids that don't have any" "You guys don't know how privileged you are" and "Look at all these clothes in your cupboard that you never wear, why do you need new ones?"
These colorful pieces of clothing tell a story beyond words. It colors a picture that we can only imagine - the picture of poverty. The picture of being content with what you have, or don't have for that matter. The picture of not knowing if there is going to be food on the table. The picture of simplistic living because you have no other choice.
I wonder if the current owners of these clothes ever saw it in its original new state. The chances are big that they bought it from one of the secondhand markets on the island with the R8 wage they received for that day.
I started to question my standard when I first saw this picture of a house painted by a 6
year old on the wall of the primary school where we were sleeping at night.
This was his standard of a house… Growing up on the island he stays with his family
in a small 2 room house build a meter above the ground from bamboo with walls neatly
covered by weaving leaves and grass. On the inside of this house you will find very
little possessions – nothing more than what is needed to go by. From the roof's bamboo
bars supporting the grass roof there is a hammock hanging down – not for reclining in
as we have the picture in our mind, but for the children and babies to sleep in. This is
their cot, their security- keeping them from wandering off- and gently rocking them to
sleep.
I was overwhelmed by the people's generosity offering us glasses of Coke – knowing
that this for them is a big luxury and something they can't afford for themselves. We
received 2 bamboo beds to sleep on – this was not all they were willing to give this was
all they had and they gave it all.
These people, that picture and that washing line challenged me.
Now I want to challenge you.
Where is your washing line? Yes, it may not have the view of the blue ocean as background but it has more clothes on it than those people can dream to own What is your standard? Because everything above your standard, you will view as luxury and a blessing. What is your definition of paradise? Because paradise might be your own home in the middle of the town. For these people owning an old car and even more owning "a house for your car" (garage)… this for them is paradise.
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