07.08.09
I Know About Poverty
The first two short stories from F. Sionil Jose’s The God Stealer portray extreme antipodes. Simply speaking, The Heirs recounts one rich family’s life, while The Mountain relates a poor family’s life. Instead of reading the rest of the stories, I paused and pondered on these two for I found their junction very interesting.
Unbeknownst to the author or not, The Heirs illustrates the futility of wealth whereas The Mountain exhibits the yearning for it. I am not about to speak of the book or those two stories however.
Poverty. Our country’s literature abounds with it. In fact, the majority of Filipinos find a certain appeal to the topic for the simple reason that most of us share an affinity with it. Even Filipino bloggers who write of pauperism garner the most readers and acclaim. If not ourselves, we always know of somebody in dire straits. And yet almost every country in the world cradles their own proletariat which means that even the most successful countries have not found a panacea for poverty.
But what is poverty? Being homeless? Jobless? Hungry?
I observe my little brother all the time and consider how blessed he is for being able to grab a jar of peanut butter and cream a piece of bread with it during any time of the day, drink milk three times a day, or have a balanced diet at every meal. Still and all, his eyes sparkle with envy every time I recapitulate my early childhood living in a bahay kubo, nipa hut and all, and having to fish in a nearby pond for our lunch, pick wild fruits for breakfast, and harvest kamote-tops or alugbati among the shrubbery. We had no money. A twenty-peso bill was a rare novelty. Bread was a luxury. But we did not care eating “leaves” every single day for several years. The family was wealthy in Love and Joy.
I myself wonder why I do not often write about that experience even with the knowledge that if I did, I would allure more readers. The plurality of my new friends is not even aware of this certain period in my life. Certainly I am not ashamed of being poor, but I fear that people would somehow present pity, and if that happened, I sense that I would be exploiting a very prismatic and wonderful aspect of my life.
“You don’t know how it feels” is a common retort whenever I try to reach out to the poverty-stricken. My interests recline on books, music, different forms of art, coffee, exquisite cuisine, fine manners and amenities, but that does not mean I do not know about being hungry and penniless.
I remember being very poor, but I remember being very happy.
A person is only truly needy when he is destitute of love.
There is a panacea for poverty.
But it is something very difficult to attain.
Contentment.
.
Joy said,
July 8, 2009 at 11:50 am
Very nicely written cl and very true. Materialism seems to be the trend these days and people have lost their focus on what matters most in life. We tend to forget that when death knocks at the door, it all boils down to “nothing.”
Totomel said,
July 8, 2009 at 12:20 pm
i am very touched by what you wrote there Mir. despite destitution, you are still lucky to have a very supporting family who have raised you well in learning. in my case, aside from growing up with a broken family, i have nobody to look up to for inspiration… and i only have the nature around to keep my mind active. i’ve worked in the farm when i was still in elementary. that sporadically pushed me to skip classes just to earn something for my baon. in highschool, i was fortunate to get a scholarship but still aimed for meager jobs to fill my pocket. the worst thing was, since nobody reads and writes in our family, i had no other choice but to work on my own. i had nobody to guide me on my way to college. but despite that, i am still thankful that this poverty has shaped me to be independent and self reliant…..and what separates the poor from the rich are leisures in life: when the rich have all the materials, the books, the learning etc., the poor have the hope which he sees in bursting clouds, the dreams which he sees in the flying hawks, the passion which he notices in the colony of ants…but most of all, the poor has the wildest imagination to amuse himself which material things could never equal. and with all my experiences of being poor, i sometimes exult in saying that poverty is actually a lifetime privilege.
OMG, murag taas na kog nasuwat da.hehehe
balowen said,
July 8, 2009 at 5:22 pm
ur scribe just brought me into a sense of contentment.. very beautiful writing.:)
jonathan hawk follows closely said,
July 8, 2009 at 6:02 pm
True, people make need of so much these days, truly the feeling of being impoverished must be pervasive in society. But being without love has to be the most difficult and wanting need to be fulfilled.
You have many riches, but attend to the full spectrum of life though such interest as the arts, reading, etc. Your sensitivity may give you what so many do not have, that awareness that we are bathed in a great gift, from the Creator, life.
I often try to get my children to be aware of the spectrum. To draw back the curtain behind the daily show that is their lives.
For instance, we go to powwows together, I never ask them to pay, but want them to know the ritual behind the dance, the drum, the dress, the food and stories. I point out how the artist often live in the trailers we’d just walked past in the parkling lot, how many are not rich, and do not have so many things that my children take as always present.
Then, we soak in the gift that they present, as they dance and share culture and give thanks for what little they may have. And we join and are one, close to Earth.
And we are all the richer.
mika said,
July 8, 2009 at 6:27 pm
i’m very touched by this. it’s unbelievably easy nowadays to get caught up with petty issues and be blind to the blessings we have. i’m reminded of a quote from mother teresa:
“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.”
you have such a fascinating life, thanks for sharing this with us
sopraninigabi said,
July 8, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Meewa, of all your entries, this is the one that has touched me the most. I am ashamed to say that I sometimes take my blessings for granted. While my siblings and I have not known material luxury and have never set foot outside the country, our hardworking parents made sure that we never wanted for anything. This has made me realize how truly fortunate we are, to have a loving and supportive family like yours.
I hope that you share more stories of your nipa hut days, Mir. I did not think it possible to admire you more but this entry proved me wrong on that account. :) *hug* You and Omel, both!
Miracle ♪♫ said,
July 8, 2009 at 9:40 pm
To Achi Joy:
Hi Chi! I’m surprised and at the same time very pleased to see a comment from you. Yes, Chi… while writing, I had Paul’s words in mind from the book of Timothy: “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” Thank you for this surprise visit. =)
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To Omel:
Mel, your penchant for finding inspiration in nature is truly nothing inferior. I am very much aware of how you grew up and hold your perseverance in high regard because you have used your experiences for your betterment while others would have given up. The strength of your heart is extraordinary. Thank you for sharing episodes of your life once again. I think you should write a book - not because of the length of your comment ha [hehehe], but because I know you will be a sophic author. Sige na, I’ll design your book cover. ;-)
P.S. “OMG”?! Coming from you? You don’t use this expression. What has gotten into you? hehehe… :p
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To Owen:
Owen, I’m glad this made you feel that way. Thank you!
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To Jonathan:
Thank you for sharing your wisdom, Jonathan. I hope your children will deeply value what you have passed on to them. Love is indeed the greatest wealth, and with that, I am confident that you are one of the richest people on earth. =)
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To Mika:
Mika, that quote by Mother Theresa is very pertinent! Thank you.
I am fascinated with your life as well. Let’s continue sharing our experiences with each other. =)
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To Gabi:
We are surely tremendously blessed with our families, Gabi. With families like ours, it’s impossible to say we have nothing, or that we are wanting.
Papa has been urging me to write a book about it a la Laura Ingalls and Louisa May Alcott but I feel that I still have to grow more in order to accomplish something like that. Later perhaps, when my Alonzo/Prof. Bhaer will be there to encourage and guide me.haha =p
You’re very sweet, Gabi. Thank you for being you. Group hug! =D