India gives poverty a whole new meaning. As I drive across the Gurgaon landscape, I find that I have a hard time dismissing the absolute abject poverty, swill of living conditions, trash, dirt, paleness of humanity in this place. It is epitomized by the various lone individuals you see squatting in the middle of fields richly “planted” in trash bags, while the dirty wind blows around them, stray dogs strut around and pigs happily wave their tails eating…..well whatever they can find to survive.
I told a guy today who had lived here for 2.5 years that you probably get hardened to the absolute poverty around you. He told me about his sense that society was bettering itself. Farmer’s children were having jobs, their grandchildren were going to college. I guess, but it is hard to see. Really hard to see. I know that living here probably dulls the senses somewhat.
I drive by it every day and I see it. He drives by it for three years and he no longer sees it. It is interesting. What traveling worldwide does is give you an entirely different perspective on the definition of poverty. Let me tell you, it makes it hard to hear the cries of poverty in the U.S. when you see people who do not know where their next meal is coming from. I mean, not from war or famine, but from a famine of society. A lack of jobs, shelter, food, simple health, clean water. When people talk about being poor in America, they talk of things like not being able to even afford a cell phone! Not being able to afford to send their kids to college. “I have not had a vacation in five years.” kind of stuff. You have to be joking. Americans don’t know the meaning of poverty. I don’t know of anyone in the U.S. who doesn’t have drinking water, who has to draw their morning coffee water from a toxic pipe, boil it on a small cow dung fueled fire, set on the ground in front of their shack built with some scrap boards and plastic bags. The later is standard for probably half the Indian population. Now THAT is poverty. I know it hardens me to the plight of the average American poor. I can’t help it. India gives poor a whole new meaning.
Globally speaking, U.S. Poverty is the New Wealthy.
I drive by it every day and I see it. He drives by it for three years and he no longer sees it. It is interesting. What traveling worldwide does is give you an entirely different perspective on the definition of poverty. Let me tell you, it makes it hard to hear the cries of poverty in the U.S. when you see people who do not know where their next meal is coming from. I mean, not from war or famine, but from a famine of society. A lack of jobs, shelter, food, simple health, clean water. When people talk about being poor in America, they talk of things like not being able to even afford a cell phone! Not being able to afford to send their kids to college. “I have not had a vacation in five years.” kind of stuff. You have to be joking. Americans don’t know the meaning of poverty. I don’t know of anyone in the U.S. who doesn’t have drinking water, who has to draw their morning coffee water from a toxic pipe, boil it on a small cow dung fueled fire, set on the ground in front of their shack built with some scrap boards and plastic bags. The later is standard for probably half the Indian population. Now THAT is poverty. I know it hardens me to the plight of the average American poor. I can’t help it. India gives poor a whole new meaning.
Globally speaking, U.S. Poverty is the New Wealthy.
A UT student with a backpack texting on his cellphone asked me for money the other day. I can't repeat what I said.
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