For those of you who are into reading finance books you might think that this title sounds like some get rich scheme like "Rich Dad Poor Dad". Or something some financial agent might say. But that's not what I am refering to.
I just watched the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" starring Will Smith. It's basically a rags to riches story about Chris Garner who started out as a salesman selling some medical equipment, but never making ends meet. In the end he managed to get an internship in a stoke brokerage firm. At the end of the unpaid internship, only 1 person would be hired in the firm. Needless to say he got hired at the end of the show. But it was the difficult process of struggling to pay off the rent, moving in and out of homeless shelters and selling his remaining medical equipment while having to provide for his son that was particularly heart-wrencing and moving.
Synopsis of the show aside. The show did get me thinking about a number of things regarding poverty.
For one, I truely thank God that in all my years I have never felt poor. I assure you that my family is not rich. I live in a HDB flat just like most of us in Singapore. I take the public transport and rarely eat out. In short, I'm as average as everyone else. But the point I'm trying to make is that while the protaganist and his son was locked out of their rented apartments, by God's providence I never had to. So while I have never been exceedingly rich; I was neither exceedingly poor.
But yet it has reminded of something I felt while I was backpacking in Australia in June this year. I had stayed at a backpackers inn during my vacation. Obviously as poor fresh graduates plus one undergraduate; we wanted to save some money. So we made wraps (which were pretty good) and had them for lunch. We gave ourselves the luxury of a hot meal only during dinner.
Before I left, I decided to treat the girls (they were leaving 2 days later) to a buffet at Sizzlers. I'd thought it would be an enjoyable experience. I think they did enjoy themselves. But for me I had a nagging feeling that something was amiss. I felt really odd and out of place in the restaurant. In my mind I was thinking that as travellers, our "spartan" lifestyle was temporal and by choice. Once we returned to Singapore, a hot meal every meal is a given. Once we got home, we'd live in relative comfort again. But my mind wandered and wondered about those who lived "spartan" lives not by choice by by circumstance. For them there was no "once I get back home everything will be ok". The circumstance was for the long haul; until something else happens. At that's only if it does.
The show further reminded me of this when the protagonist had to rush to a homeless shelter everyday by 5pm after work so that he and his son could have a bed and roof for the night. We would always have a room at home. Families that love us and parents who would provide for all our needs. But not everyone lives like that.
Maybe it is this "what about them?" question which made me feel strangely uncomfortable then.
This is odd because most people would speak of such an experience only when they have been to a country where poverty is abundant. Not some affluent country like Australia. Moreover, I never met any poor people while I was there either. So I must say it was queer.
At the present stage of my life, I have become a working adult who with a stable income. As a graduate, my income can be considered high. At least compared to non-university graduates. Would this "affluence" erode those "feelings" over time.
God remembers the poor, the loss and the destitute in His Word and in His Laws. They have special place in His heart. I wonder if I would too?
