Originally, this post was published under the title 'Along the sewage were shacks made of cardboard and wood - Let the change begin with you and me'. One day I found the post was labeled 'preview not available'. I did not know how to fix that, and decided to publish it again under a new title. I hope it will work.
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This was an entry in my journal dated 4/5/2007.
I woke up two mornings in a row at 7:07 a.m. I had a dream. Below was part of the dream.
I found myself walking on a narrow, black, wet, and muddy road. (I used the word 'muddy', but I did not see mud. The road was covered by a thick layer of dirt. It looked dirty, black, and wet.) On both sides of the road, there were small shacks barely enough for one person to live in. I saw people, young and old, who had very little means lived in each shack.
I turned onto the next road. Again, the condition of the road was terrible, and small shacks were built on both sides of the road. It seemed the condition of the ground was like that the whole year round. A kid was eating a little bit of rice and nothing else. He had learned to live and survive by himself.
Next, I was no longer walking on the ground. I was looking at this place from above.
Across from where the kid lived, there was another young man who lived in a similar condition. Farther away, another face / another man struggled to live on. The looks on their faces were hard to describe. Though life seemed to be meaningless or extremely difficult, each and everyone of them tried to live on. My heart was surged with compassion. I started to pray: "Oh, dear loving God, they are all my brothers, please..." Then I woke up.
The dream reminded me of an incident that happened long ago. When I was about 13 years old, a classmate and I walked into an area we had never been to. Along the sewage were shacks made of cardboard and wood***. *** My friend and I walked into an area where the police did not want to bother. These dwellings were illegally built. Families and those who still had their health took up places where the ground was dry and clean. The old and weak could only live along the sewage where nobody wanted to live next to.
It had not rained for days. However, inside the shacks, there was filthy, smelly water on the ground. As we walked past, the smell alone was unbearable. What struck me the most was the look of the men and women that lived there. They were old, weak, and obviously in poor health. Since the shacks were small, their beds / wooden planks were placed not high above the wet, smelly ground. It was unthinkable that they had to live in such a condition day after day. For a long time, what I saw stayed in my mind. My heart went out to them especially in the silence of the night.
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When I woke up from the dream, I only felt somewhat sad. I had learned that it did not help a situation or another person by adding our sadness to what already was. I had learned the importance of maintaining my peace, thinking positively, and looking at others or situations with compassion. With compassion, we would treat others with love, patience, and understanding which were more helpful in all situations.
Two days later (4/7/07) I reflected on the dream, and I found hope. These were the thoughts that came to me that day.
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- People who live in unthinkable conditions still regard life as livable, and life is.
- I begin to think what is it that I can do to make our world a better world.
- If we join together, a whole lot can be done. Much of what we see such as people living in uttermost poverty can be eliminated.
- It comes to me many people on earth are already doing that. There are organizations and groups where people volunteer and set out to serve. I learn from the media that more and more people, ordinary people as well as people who are highly regarded in the society, have come together to help.
- The world is moving forward towards a better world for all and not just for some.
- I see hope and hope is manifesting into reality.
It has been five years since I had that dream.
I know similar living conditions to what I saw when I was 13 still exist in some parts of the world. I have seen on TV children looking for food in landfill. However, as things like this continue to come to light in the modern age of technology, people are doing something about them. Many wonderful groups as well as individuals have stepped forward to help and serve. When disasters hit (such as tsunami), people all over the world reach out to help never taking into account the narrow view of race or the boundary that separates the countries. In a few countries, dictators who rule with brutality are being overthrown as people stand up demanding for their rights.
In today's global economy, some people have lost their jobs. Understandably, many express worry and fear for the future. However, the slow economy also compels those who use to live big to examine their way of living and re-focus on what are truly important in their life. Some begin to realize 'simple' is a better way of living, and donate their excess possessions for good causes. Spiritually, more and more people are opening up to the realization that in truth we are interconnected. On the whole, we are more accepting of the differences among us, and less discriminating towards others today.
How about you, my friends? What is your view of the world today?
Some say the world is not getting any better - women in some countries are still being suppressed and mistreated, wars go on, our environment (land, air and water) is very polluted, the financial system is going to collapse as people continue to live in greed and so on. It is easy to find faults in our society, however, don't be a by-stander. Let the change begin with you and me. It doesn't have to be a big change or something dramatic.
Let me share with you an experience.
I used to keep it to myself wherever I was. One day, I decided to change because of the many grace and touches of God. I made a vow to honor God by making it a practice to greet, verbally or mentally, whosoever I came across.
One morning, my son and I went shopping for grocery. He walked a few steps behind me so that we would not take up the space, and others could walk by easily. When we got to the produce department, my son said in wonderment: "Mom, how come you know so many people in the store? Do you have many friends here?" I was puzzled. I said: "No, I don't". He said: "Mom, I was walking behind you. I saw many people smiled at you and talked to you!" I realized what had happened. I told him it was because I greeted them first. My son asked: "But what if they ignore you?" I said: "It doesn't matter if they don't respond. I choose to greet them with a smile. How they react is their choice. Have you not seen many of them are friendly and nice!"
If you and your family are going through a difficult time because of the economy, pray and we will be praying with you. Have faith, and don't let the situation bring you down. Be gentle to yourself and continue to love. Examine your life, and see if you need to make a change. Meanwhile, help others whenever you can. It can be as simple as lending a hand when you see someone falls. Helping others is helping ourselves for we are one.
Many blessings,
Q of D
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