1) India is really hard to get to (35 hours of multiple long flights)
2) It's really hot (The last time I was there it was 120 degrees)
3) It's extremely dirty
4) It's a really, really sad place
But I went.
While there, I saw the horrific poverty of the people -- families literally living in cardboard boxes in the dirt. I saw young children, the ages of my own kids, dragging sheets of corrugated metal through the streets, supposedly to create a rudimentary shelter for their family for the night. I saw beggars in the street with nothing to eat. I saw horrific pollution and dirt.
It's almost too much to take in.
But then I read an article online about how you should try and look for the good in everything, no matter the situation. The next day, I saw things differently.
I saw families laughing together. I saw neighbors helping neighbors. I saw hard workers providing for their families. I saw children playing soccer and having fun. I saw people serving each other. I saw beautiful colors. I saw lots of smiles.
I don't mean to diminish the horrific situation of these people. But they seem to be happy with what they have. Perhaps because they don't know any differently. Maybe they realize any other life is unattainable and they've come to accept their reality.
I have a new appreciation for India. It is a beautiful place filled with a rich culture that I will never be able to fully understand.
