I find it most humbling to be involved with people whose life circumstances have dealt them the blow of having to living under far less advantageous or even cruel conditions than I. Whether that blow is seemingly endless poverty, the absence of any daily sense of security from harm, the untimely loss of a loved one or the devastation of a missing leg or arm, these blows in life to others seems to bring a certain unique character to people. I dare not say I would stand as well as those that still carry on under those adverse conditions. Even though somewhat uncomfortable to our sensibilities, it does a world of good for us to be exposed to the hardships of others especially if we take the time to consider what it would be like for us if we were made to live under those same conditions. It's called empathy.
Empathy does not come without cost. It can actually hurt to relate to someone on that level. That is why many people choose to "turn away" from someone elses circumstances as it begins to make them start to feel uncomfortable. There is a benefit to it as well though. Empathy, by it's nature, can form a much deeper gratitude in us for or in spite of our own circumstances - even circumstances that we normally treat as uncomfortable or even with disdain.
Children who grow up with a healthy attitude of empathy will very likely grow up to be very grateful children, even more so if their parents carry that trait in them and actually communicate that to them. They are the very ones who will walk across the playground in school and without a single passing thought of "what the other kids will think of them" and offer to be a friend to that unpopular child, or the child that is being bullied, or that child that just doesn't fit in.
We might do well to learn something from being exposed to the lives of others less fortunate than us
- Something that is almost guaranteed to change how we think about our own lives. It's called Gratitude.So the next time your child or grandchild complains about having to go to a well funded school like this,
Or to have to wear designer clothes like this,
show them a picture ...
of this makeshift school in Uganda, a country where children often can only dream of going to school,
Show them a picture ...
of children who would love to have more than one set of clothes even if it is only rags as is often the case.
Better yet,
do your child a favor and print these pictures and hang them around your house a little higher than their head and let their curiosity lead to a conversation about them. Children, unless they have been hardened, are naturally curious and empathetic. Don't make a lecture out of it. Let their curiosity and empathy lead the conversation. We might even learn something from from how they respond.
I'm sure Mukulu Jonathan, the director of Oasis Orphan Care Ministry (OOCM) and Okiror Geofrey, the director of Support Orphans And Street Kids (SOASK) in Uganda won't mind at all. They love children...
You can find out more about those local efforts in Uganda in the menu to the left. There is even a PayPal "Donate" button on each page where if so led you can connect your Empathy with your Actions. You can also "Donate" through my personal General Fund which goes to the needs as they present themselves. I never have to wait very long at all.
TODAY (09/08/2004) school just started in Uganda. There are children hoping and praying to go back to school - many of them orphans. On average it costs about 25.00 USD for fees and supplies per quarter to send a child to school - a fortune for those living in poverty in Uganda. I can't think of anything more "sustainable" than a child's education.
