Final day in the hills of Zapata
For most, I would guess, the week has gone by too fast. For the people of the hills, given the cold weather, this winter week may have gone by too slowly. It’s all relative . Poverty exists where reality falls below expectations. A person may not be poor if they believe that life is providing them with all that they truly need. One person’s necessity may represent another’s unnecessary luxury. It’s all relative.
Today, three (more) Mexican families gained a gift that, for them, probably represents something closer to a necessity than a luxury — a new house. They all had a structure which they had previously called a house, but which usually lacked a decent door and/or roof. It’s all relative.
These three families expressed their respective gratitude in very similar ways. First, the father spoke, and then the mother brought tears to the eyes of the builders, and usually her older children, by shedding her own. Other neighborhood children ran around the group, some speaking their limited English vocabulary. Some people were realizing a dream and others were still chasing one. It’s all relative.
Three families in those hills now have one less worry. They still live in a neighborhood that has no constructed roads, no sewage system, and very limited access to electricity in the year 2013 in a country with the world’s thirteenth largest economy. Perhaps, richer countries care for their underprivileged citizens less well, but other poorer countries have created much better social safety nets. It’s all relative.
La familia es más importante. It’s all relative
Murray – LiveDifferent Volunteer, Mexico, Christmas 2012