Poverty Does Not Equate to Unhappiness
*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 Read the rest of this entry »
