The World in Perspective

The other day I watched a documentary called "Bulgaria's Abandoned Children" about this British women who goes to this little town of Mogilino. In this town, there is a Social Care Home in which about 75 children live under VERY poor conditions. They are special kids as in they have some sort of disability - like being deaf, blind, autistic, sick, etc. This kinda shocks me as Bulgaria is one of the developed countries in Europe, yet there are small towns that are so poor. The lives of these children is very sad. The film encounters with several children from this care home. Didi, and 18 year old girl who is mildly autistic is abandoned by her mother. When she got there, she saw herself different from other kids there, quoting her, "they are disturbed". She is the only one who can talk, but has no one to talk to. She still believes that her mom is going to pick her up someday, she tells that to this autistic guy called Milan. Milan might not be the smartest boy in the world, but he is smart enough to know that Didi's mom is not going to pick her up. Milan has been doing chores in this home to have something to do with his life. He is very loyal and very reliable. But he also knows that the treatment they get in this place is not the best and wants to leave the place. Because he is a child and does things as he's told, sometimes the workers in this home takes advantage of him and beat him, leaving him bleeding and suffering in silence. Milan also has a kind heart for helping other people, like this kid who lost his ability to walk. But when he brings him up to a social worker, they walk pass him, ignoring him. The life standards of this place is the worst thing ever. Showers are dirty, clothes are shared by the children of the same room number, there are plastic potties instead of toilets, food there looks like vomit, and social workers chug food into childrens mouth fater than they can swallow. When social workers leave from work to go home, all children are left under control of one single person, who is in charge of them for 12 hours until the social workers come to work. Everything is systematic. Workers are paid to treat these children like animals who must be washed and fed. Children there are not given any opportunity to learn; there is no stimulation. All they do in this institution is to rock on a chair and walk around. Many of these children would have learned to talk if somebody talks to them or teach them things. The sad thing is that children there's only role is to survive in there. Every year, children die because they receive no medical assistance. They are left to suffer until they eventually die, having lived a miserable life. The director of the institution has barely walked out of her office to supervise the workers or visiting the children. When she was asked what is she needs the most for the institution, she answers "a computer". This shows a very very lack of compassion from people in the higher hierarchies.

The film is a very eye-opening experience, makes you realize what reality is like in some parts of the world. It is a real shame that some children live under this very poor condition. Unlike me, I live everyday as it is, taking for granted things I should be thankful for. Sometimes people wake up in the morning thinking to themselves "Man, I hate my life!", when this person is more blessed than million of children out there who would give everything to have a life like mine or yours. Yet, as bad as I feel about children like this, I feel helpless to make any change.

You can watch this documentary here.

So next time you are thinking you are having a bad day, keep this in mind:

--- Is your quaility of life doing ok? Did you have a bad day? ---
If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would break down on a per person scale accordingly... There would be:

* 57 Asians
* 21 Europeans, 14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
* 8 Africans
* 52 would be female 48 would be male
* 70 would be non-white 30 would be white
* 70 would be non-Christian 30 would be Christian
* 89 would be heterosexual 11 would be homosexual
* 6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.
* 80 would live in substandard housing
* 70 would be unable to read
* 50 would suffer from malnutrition
* 1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth 1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
* 1 would own a computer

When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need for acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent. The following is also something to ponder...

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation ... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend an idealogical meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death...you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace ... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married ... you are very rare, even in the United States and Canada.

If you can read this article of perspective, you are more fortunate than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

Of course, as I see the world today, perhaps that's not such a bad thing.