Covered in dust and sweat I could feel their hunger. Their bodies so thin, so bony, so gaunt I could see their skeletal structure. Ragged clothes and bare feet all covered with mud, dust and sand particles holding clumsily to their skin. Their eyes showed a longing, a wish, a craving……….. just for a piece of bread and a shelter. This is what I saw when I visited the rural areas in Pakistan. Poverty is not just a major issue, a dominating concern but it is a call for all human kind to help others, to nurture and behold their morals and values.
“What do you do all day?”
“Beg for food”
Why that is our wealth is limited to just a few while others suffer in distress, trying to overcome insurmountable problems that they face? What if we were not as blessed as we are today and were in the same situation that these unfortunate people face? Can we ever defeat poverty? Can we ever bring smiles on the faces of so many distressed ones? Can we ever give them hope? These thoughts mingled in my mind as I sat looking at the whole panorama.
“What do you do when it is cold?”
“Try to live”
Tears came out gushing from my eyes when I saw a little girl sucking over a piece of cloth that she wore and trying to eat it. At that moment I felt like I have been stripped off my comfort zone and trodden down to reality. I could feel the intensity of Gandhi’s words, “There are people in this world so hungry that God can not appear to them except in the form of bread”.
I have seen both the elegant castles, so luxurious, so sumptuous, so grand and then I have seen “almost” bare grounds, on which lay children, women and men. Poverty is a curse bestowed upon nations that dwell in moral evils i.e. corruption, illiteracy and spells of unemployment. In many third world countries people are judged according to their financial status. It doesn’t matter how you generate money but what matters is money itself.
Government can be blamed for most of the poverty that exists in a country but it basically is the selfish human behavior that provides the bases for poverty. Immediate steps should be taken to overcome such selfish human behavior that provides the bases for poverty. Immediate steps should be taken to overcome such a hazard as poverty. In agricultural countries productivity should be increased and more efficient steps should be taken in moving towards market – based economy. Improving communication between rural and urban regions can also be very productive as it will not only ease the transfer of goods and materials but will also provide jobs. There are so many steps that can be taken to ensure that we uproot poverty but the question is who is to start? Everyone. Each individual in the society has to ensure a stable community. Depending on just the government will not benefit anyone and the same situation will prevail or even worsen as the time progresses.
“Do you want to go to school?”
And we traded smiles.
I could see a shine, a twinkle in his eyes as tears isolated them and ran down his muddy cheeks.