Living in Poverty

I heard the sound of my heart breaking after reading the second "What is Poverty?" essay. I always hear how good I have it, and it's hard to really appreciate everything until you see or read about someone who is much less fortunate than you are. In this case, it was Jo Goodwin Parker.

I felt my eyes bulge out of my head and my jaw drop to the floor when I read about some of her living conditions. I can't imagine constantly being surrounded by tiny insects and being malnourished. I love good food! It was sad to hear that she can't use warm water because it's too expensive--and she couldn't even buy vaseline because the price went up two cents!!! That's crazy; I wouldn't even give a second thought if something I wanted went up two cents. It makes you really think about how much you want something versus how much you need it.

After reading this heart-wrenching essay, I now have more compassion for those living in poverty. It must be a big struggle for them to even have the will to wake up in the morning. I know that I would pull the plug if I had to live in such adverse conditions! At least Parker had a family that she loved to help her get through it all. At the end of the day, it all boils down to the family that you have in your life. Without them (especially in Parker's case), you've got nothing. It really makes me appreciate my parents more and how much they support me and give me everything they've got to make sure that I live the best life possible!