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Poverty Does Not Equate to Unhappiness

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*This is my contribution to the Blog Action Day 2008 Philippines: Taking a Stand on Poverty

I was not born and raised in a well-to-do family.  As a matter of fact, we were not rich.  Not even middle-class.  My mother was a public school teacher.  My father was already too old to earn a living when I was growing up.  We were looked down upon and were not treated well by our relatives because my mother married an old fart who couldn’t feed his children – but only after our house and my father’s business were burnt down by arsonists in 1984.

My older siblings at least got to experience the joys of going to an expensive private school. They were happy kids. I did not enjoy the comforts that I am currently enjoying. But I was happy.

When I was in grade school, there were times when we thrived on two packs of noodles and the cheapest NFA rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But we were happy.

In high school, there were times when I missed classes because I did not have enough money.  Not even for fare. We still thrived on noodles, rice, and sardines. But we were happy.

In college, I had to wake up as early as 5 AM so I could catch the shuttle service to UP Mindanao at 6:30 AM – even if my class was not until 10:30 AM.  This was because I only had to spend a total of P18.50 for fare – instead of P35.00 if I didn’t catch the bus. I would buy two pieces of cheese (or coco) bread at the village bakeshop before heading to school. That was my “baon” for lunch. In the afternoon, even if my classes ended at 3PM, I would wait for 6PM so I could take the shuttle service again. I was not unhappy.

Were we poor? Yes we were, but we were happy.

I know it may sound too idealistic and impossible that we were happy given our circumstances, but we truly were.  Or at least that’s how I look at it now.  We were happy with the simple pleasures in life. Going to the supermarket at least once in two months was a joy. My family, a family of 7, is a diverse group of people.  We are different from each other in so many ways, but we also were similar in so many ways.  One thing I am proud of is that despite our financial and social status, we were a happy brood.

We could have been happier.  We could have wasted our time blaming whomever we could because of our plight.  But we were happy.

Now that I’m earning quite well (in actuality, just enough for myself), I realized that instead of wasting my time during my younger years crying and blaming people, I could have just come up with ways to help the family in alleviating our finances. I guess I could do that now. I have worked so hard not only to live the life I deserve, but also because I knew I had a lot to prove – to myself and to others.  Growing up gay and poor was difficult – those two things brought along with them a lot of complications which made life even harder for little old happy me.

I’m happy.  But looking at some of the other members of my family now, I think my happiness is very superficial. I could help them out start their new lives.  But my whims prevent me from doing so. I am selfish and all I do now is think of myself. Think of my own happiness.  Think of my own future. Selfishness breeds unhappiness – directly or indirectly.  Those simple joys and pleasures in life are upon me, but I don’t think I am truly happy.

Throw stones at me if you please, but I daresay that SELFISHNESS IS A CAUSE OF POVERTY.

Corrupt government officials and workers and their selfishness cause poverty. If only there was proper appropriation of government funds from the taxpayer’s money…

Tax evaders are selfish bastards who cause poverty… If only they paid their taxes honestly, there would be enough money to help the poverty-stricken communities and areas build their lives…

The poor, too, and their selfishness cause their own poverty… instead of blaming others for their plight, they could do something about it (e.g. avoid copulating too much, look for jobs, look for scholarships)

The rich, too, cause poverty… they work (some very hard) to amass a huge fortune… even if they trampled on the poor and even if they abused the poor…

But how do we solve poverty?  What is the root cause of poverty? I don’t really know.  All I know is that if we all stopped blaming each other and worked hard – individually and together – we can do something about poverty. We need to help people help themselves.  But before we do that, we also have to learn to help ourselves.  Help ourselves, then help others help themselves, then help one another help alleviate poverty.

Selfishness is a cause of poverty. It’s time to give.

Around the Philippine Blogosphere:

Tony Cruz
alang Iwanan: Kahirapan at ang Ilusyon ng Corporate Social Responsibility
Blog Action Day 2008: Imperialism and poverty
Fight Against Poverty
Poverty During Christmas
Attitude Change
Blog Action Day!
http://edericeder.com/pag-ahon/
Blog Action Day: My Action
Buhay Pa Tayo
Poverty Alleviation through Information Communication Technology
Go Fish – Blog Action Day 2008 – Poverty
Today is Blog Action Day
log Action Day: Poverty
Ang Sa Wari Ko Supports BLOG ACTION DAY 08 in its war against POVERTY
Poems from the Heart
Whose sorry now?
Kung magsasawa ka lang.
Memos on Poverty and the Imagination
Poverty Does Not Equate to Unhappiness
Hard times ahead: What awaits our OFWs?
Blog Action Day: Poverty in the Philippines
Poverty and the Blogger
World food day activities
Cry Poverty — With Style
Blog Action Day 2008 – Poverty: Addressing Society’s Real Conflicts
Poverty in the Philippines
Hirap maging mahirap
Gratitude is a Sickness Suffered by Dogs
Poverty and the Filipino Diaspora
Helplessness
Blog Action Day
Poverty and Elections

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