Friday, May 21, 2010

Day 11 - The Important Things of Life

While we were having dinner thursday night, it was awesome to hear some of the comments that Max made about Africa. Somehow, we got on the topic of things that people like about Africa. Max made some comments that were very spot on. He spoke about how the thing that he has liked best about Africa is seeing how happy the people are despite the fact that they don't have anything. He went on to clarify that they don't have any material possessions, but that material possessions are not the things that bring happiness in this life. How true it is. As I have been up in some of the villages, you see individuals who truly have very little. For example, take a look at this guy to the left. The picture of this guy was taken at a village called Sutapong. We were up there for a Gong Gong and he came up and started talking to us. He was truly happy despite the lack of material "things" Sure they have a roof and four walls, but it is not even close to what we are accustomed to in the U.S.  Yes they have clothing (or at least most of them do), but it may be a couple of shirts and a pair of pants that they wear for days at a time. Yes, the kids have toys, but more often than not it is an old tire from the side of the road or some very small item whose cost is less than the cost of a one meal at McDonalds. But they are happy with what they have. They have realized that it is not the things of life that make us happy, but the moments of life. How much joy the kids get from running after our truck, or getting their picture taken with an "obroni." There is a lot that we can learn from these humble people. Many times us as Americans worry about having the newest car or the next big screen, while our brothers and sisters are wondering where their next meal will come from. Let's all take a moment to reflect on the important things of life and be grateful for what we have.

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