Thursday, August 20, 2009

Some Things My Eyes Have Seen

For those who are unaware, the title of this post is in reference to a song that I like very much. It’s by a group called Disciple and it’s a tribute to soldiers who fight in other countries. When I first heard it I thought it should also be a tribute to missionaries who fight for God in other countries. The first line goes like this “The things your eyes have seen are the content of my darkest dreams, but you take them willingly the war that keeps my family free.” The more that I see here, the more I feel that this world indeed is a dark place, but in it there is the light of God poured forth by many lighthouses throughout the land. Enough of my strange talk, you the reader are probably interested in some specifics.

I spy with my little eye something that is greed.
It is all over this place, through everything and embraced by the mindset and culture of the people. The way people drive is extremely ‘me first’ with no patience or understanding that waiting one or two seconds will get everyone to their destination faster. Where I learned to drive, the horn of the car is used in dire circumstances to ward off an accident, or a use that is more common, to summon someone out of a house to an awaiting vehicle. Here it is the other way around. If a horn were to brake on a vehicle I am sure that the driver would be too stressed to drive anywhere but to the shop to get it fixed.
Business owners who sit back and pay others very little to do the work that they do not want to do or can afford not to do while they charge an absurdly large amount for their service or product. This specific trait is not present in every single place but it seems to be the more common by far. Yes, I do agree that low overhead and high income is the equivalent of ‘good business’ but if that is the case then I would make a terrible businessman for there is no heart in it but the heart of greed. How much can I get for myself, even if that means leaving others with nothing? Taxi drivers and Rickshaw men who sit around all day not working much, but if they can rip one person off, then they’ll have the money that they need. Rickshaw men try to sell their bells, used as horns, or to get people’s attention, for 500 rupes (10-12 USD) when it’s obvious that they cost about 5 rupees or less to produce

I spy with my little eye something that is sad
The Missionaries of Charity do well to inform volunteers, especially those staying in the tourist block of the city, about the beggars. They are not as they appear. Indeed the begging here ha become a business all to its own; being run in a mafia style where beggars have what is more or less a pimp. And children are rented for a day, dressed in little to no clothing and go around asking foreigners for food and money. After being given clothes, those same children are sometimes seen the next day wearing the same rags as before, asking someone knew for clothes, money or food. I have beggars approach me with baby’s in arm asking for food or money for their child and then the same would approach me again the following day with a different baby in arm, or with no children at all, and none nearby. As one lives in the area and watches these people, it does become obvious that there is indeed deceit and lies upon the surface. The honest people of the area know what is going on and once I even saw a business owner chase a beggar woman off with the threat of a beating. I watched her flee as if her life depended upon her haste. The saddest part in this story is that many beggars are indeed crippled, lame, blind or disfigured and that much of this has been done to them by their ‘pimps’ that they might draw sympathy from foreigners.
What is the response? The Missionaries of Charity ask that volunteers take action against this ‘business’ by inaction. By not giving money to these people, one is in a manner, forcing them to find other means of supporting themselves. In the west, if no one buys a product, then no one will make it. If no one gives to these people, then they won’t beg. Where is the light in that darkness one would ask? Well there are a number of organizations including the Missionaries of Charity who do feed and provide help for those in need. So, the people on the street are not in as great a need as first impressions might reveal.

Having said all of that, there are people who do not ask for handouts and work hard yet still end up sleeping on the sidewalk on a mat with a pillow, or if they are lucky on a pallet with a tarp, blanket and pillow.

So what am I and what are we to do? I do not know. But I can smile at the beggars and love them from my heart, praying that God’s love be present in their live.

This train of thought is saddening for me, and there is more that continues on for I am not sure how long. Yet here I shall halt, ending in a lighter manner.

Ecclesiastes says that being content in our situation is all that we need ask, for all striving under the sun is vanity. It’s kind of ridiculous, from worldly wisdom, but the wisdom of God is foolishness to the wise of this world. Love God and obey his commandments. To me, especially at this time, this is very heartening.
Jesus, son of the most high, is risen, and He is coming.

And I shall serve Him
~Matt Clarke
Go Big or Go Home!

(Photos linked to post title)

2 comments:

  1. Wow! There's is nothing quite like living in it to get a clear picture of how a society really functions. It must be really hard to take that all in and not be able to do anything about it...except shine a little light. Which may be a whole lot more than you think it is. On the latest Newsboys CD there's a song called "That's The Way We Roll" - it just happened to be mine and Kym's theme song on our road trip but I think of you every time I hear the chorus. It goes like this: Throw on your backpack, throw out your road map. God'll use anything, check it and see. He's given us more than we ever could ask for. That's the way we roll when we've been set free." So, he's given you lots and even in sharing what little you can in Calcutta, He can use that to make a difference. May He make your light to shine brighter and brighter each day!!!

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