We arrived in Kathmandu at about noon on Sunday after nearly three days of traveling. It was a great feeling to finally be here after all the preparation of the past few months. As we walked to our van that would take us to Little Angels School men flocked us offering to load our bags, no problem I thought they must be from the school. Our bags were loaded then they asked us for tips, they had not carried our bags far not really a deed earning much compensation, but i figured what is a couple bucks to me it will be much better in helping these people living in a country less fortunate then myself. I handed a man two dollars then got ready to leave, then an argument broke out among the group of people and eventually police arrived, and took the man away whom i had given the two dollars. This was very confusing, so i asked our guide what had happened to find out it was illegal for those men to be panhandling, and since the man was caught red handed he would be arrested. Amazing the risks this man took for two dollars, hardly anything to an American, but worth imprisonment to these men. It made me a bit overwhelmed at the help that these people need, and how there are people like this all around the world willing to risk everything to make a couple bucks to provide for their families.
What is the worth of two dollars to you? That was the question on my mind the rest of the day, and the question I pose to those reading this now. What would you risk to provide for your family? Is two dollars worth risking your freedom? It is amazing to me the level of poverty that we face in our world while wealth is hoarded by a few. Maoist factions have been fighting in this country for the past decade seeking to give people more equal opportunities. I can't say i agree with these people at all levels, but i understand their motivation. When it comes down to it all most people want regardless of the nation they live in is to have a roof over their head, food on their tables, and the knowledge that their children will be healthy, educated, and given the possibility to have those same things as they grow into adulthood. That is not to much to ask for, and are similar to our founding American beliefs of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness".
As we have driven through the city we have seen the poor state that many live in, but we have also seen a lot of happiness in these people because they are grateful for what they do have. Most people move to Kathmandu because of the opportunities for their children to become educated. Those opportunities are not available in the rural parts of the country because of the poverty in those regions. I look forward to being able to work with these children and to help give them hope for a better future hopefully in a stabler, more well developed Nepal, where they will not have to beg at the airport fearing for their freedom if caught. So i ask again what is the worth of two dollars to you? Is it better spent on a new big screen TV, a new motorized toy for the weekends, another garbage meal at a fast food joint, or could a couple of dollars from your wallet find its way into the hands of someone else who needs it more that you. To me two dollars is just two dollars, but to the guy i gave it to at the airport, (and to many around the world), the worth of those little pieces of paper is more than i may ever be able to comprehend. Giving a few dollars may not change the world, but i can guarantee that giving nothing will not change anything either. So that is where the line gets drawn; choose your side.
What is the worth of two dollars to you? That was the question on my mind the rest of the day, and the question I pose to those reading this now. What would you risk to provide for your family? Is two dollars worth risking your freedom? It is amazing to me the level of poverty that we face in our world while wealth is hoarded by a few. Maoist factions have been fighting in this country for the past decade seeking to give people more equal opportunities. I can't say i agree with these people at all levels, but i understand their motivation. When it comes down to it all most people want regardless of the nation they live in is to have a roof over their head, food on their tables, and the knowledge that their children will be healthy, educated, and given the possibility to have those same things as they grow into adulthood. That is not to much to ask for, and are similar to our founding American beliefs of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness".
As we have driven through the city we have seen the poor state that many live in, but we have also seen a lot of happiness in these people because they are grateful for what they do have. Most people move to Kathmandu because of the opportunities for their children to become educated. Those opportunities are not available in the rural parts of the country because of the poverty in those regions. I look forward to being able to work with these children and to help give them hope for a better future hopefully in a stabler, more well developed Nepal, where they will not have to beg at the airport fearing for their freedom if caught. So i ask again what is the worth of two dollars to you? Is it better spent on a new big screen TV, a new motorized toy for the weekends, another garbage meal at a fast food joint, or could a couple of dollars from your wallet find its way into the hands of someone else who needs it more that you. To me two dollars is just two dollars, but to the guy i gave it to at the airport, (and to many around the world), the worth of those little pieces of paper is more than i may ever be able to comprehend. Giving a few dollars may not change the world, but i can guarantee that giving nothing will not change anything either. So that is where the line gets drawn; choose your side.
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