Poverty

My parents have always taught me never give money to the poor. Food is okay, but not money. And I remember growing up thinking that it was unfair. It wasn't until later that I discovered the bad things that people could do with money when they don't have enough of their own. In class today, we watched another one of Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days. This time he was given the challenge of living in poverty with his fiance, Alex. While watching this episode, it made me think back to the stories my parents used to tell me about when they were my age. Since they're from the Philippines, not everything was "candies and roses". For those who don't know, the Philippines can be a both poor and rich county, it just depends on where you grow up. In my parent's case, they both grew up on the poorer side of town; my dad in Manilla (the capital), and my mom in Quezon City. When I was young, they would always tell me to be thankful for what you have because when they were growing up, they had nothing compared to what I have today. Houses were poorly built and showers had to be taken outside. My dad grew up in a very big family - six sisters and six brothers, so everything had to be shared. It was hard for him because he was one of the oldest kids, but he had to respect what his parents and siblings wanted. My mom was in the same situation; her family was big and they had a limited supply of everything. Hearing these stories made me realize how thankful I am to live in such a country that offers so much. When my parents came here, they hardly knew any English - both about in their early 20's or 30's. Looking back on this episode, I thought of how hard people have it. I remember Morgan said, "it's like they're living on the edge of a knife everyday." and it's true, because to not have a job, or to have a job that pays very low is just really depressing. I know if I were in that situation, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. When you live a life as hard as the people on the streets, or the people in that episode, you never really pay attention to how lucky you are until you've seen what they have. It's hard, especially if you were raised that way. But life is life, and whether you like it or not, you have to accept it for what it is.