When I left for work this morning, traffic was heavy. I sent my boss a text message that I would be late because I was caught in heavy traffic.
The highway was slow-moving, almost bumper to bumper. As I approached the flyover, I saw a middle-aged woman in worn-out, dirty clothes sitting on the street at the very side of the flyover. Her long skirt covered her legs, so I couldn't be sure if she was lame. This wasn't the first time I saw her. A few days ago when traffic wasn't so bad and cars swiftly fleeted through the highway, she was also there. And I thought, "What if a car was driving so fast and missed seeing her??? Would anyone driving in a fast highway even stop to give her money?" I couldn't understand her reason for "stationing" herself there. But she was back. So maybe people did stop to give her some money...but what a risk to her life for a measly sum of money. There are other safer places she could go to for help with certainly less risk to her life.
Some years back, it really used to upset me whenever I went home at night and saw this man on the street with no legs. He moved around by sitting on an improvised plywood with wheels pushing it with his hands. He was just as high as a car's wheel. I felt even worse when he wore very dark clothes and can hardly be seen at night by drivers while he moved on the busy street along with fast-moving cars. I always slowed down when I saw him and even looked at my side mirror to make sure if I had safely passed him. He moved from one car to another asking for money.
There are shelters and organizations that help these people so they can be independent and learn to earn a living despite their handicaps. But maybe there just aren't enough of these organizations around to help all of the less fortunate in the world. There are just so many who need support...or, maybe these people just haven't heard of such organizations that can help them. Nevertheless, the problem exists and these people need help and assistance, not just so they could survive each passing day but also to learn to survive without having to beg from people.
The company I work for does its own share to contribute to similar organizations. Donations are collected from employees and distributed to people from depressed areas. And every Christmas season, the company encourages employees to participate in an adopt-a-child for a day activity. Children from an orphanage are treated to a day of festivities with their foster parents-for-a-day to give them a memorable Christmas.
It seems there is never enough to do to help the needy. The disparity between the rich and poor is so wide, the plight of the needy among poor nations so deep and extensive that the basic necessities in life like food, shelter, clothing, and even water come so scarce for them.
Indeed, others...we... should consider ourselves lucky and not complain so much about our hardships in life, although I know sometimes things can seem so unbearable. Still, like I always say, "things happen for a reason." And sometimes these things open our eyes to the realities of life.
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