I have never understood why some people in this world are lucky enough to be born in better circumstances than another? Someone with the same overall goal as I, someone with a mother and a father, someone with the same desires, someone with the same abilities as I...lives in a third world country while I live here in Vail, Colorado. But, humanity has one universal similarity, in the face of struggle and destitute we all do what we have to in order so survive. In the film, "Living On A Dollar" the people in Guatemala manage to feed their families as well as other in their communities, while providing an education for their children, while running small businesses out of their homes. Each day is nothing less than a struggle. That is why I don't believe I could survive in the conditions shown in the film, to wake up each morning, fearful that a loved one or a member of your own family won't have enough money for the bare-necessities. Or that my (theoretical) children may not eat enough to help fight off a sickness. That would be the hardest thing for me, I couldn't cope with the worries and constant struggles the Guatemalans cope with each and every day. It is nothing less than inspiring and empowering for me to, in my everyday life, or when I go to places like Cambodia and Tanzania and Nicaragua; to strive for more and improve those who's lives I touch.
In the film one thing I found especially profound was something the crew of "Living On A Dollar" continuously had trouble contemplating was, "How do the impoverished people in Guatemala, live and thrive on one dollar a day?" The members of the film struggled to obtain the calories and nutrition their bodies needed each day, only having one dollar to spend, especially after leaving their homes in the US where an abundance of food is a normality. Think about your daily life, how often do you leave the water in the sink running longer than necessary? I do it, I do it too often no matter how much I try to catch myself. How often have your parents withdrawn money from the ATM at will? Mine do. Everyone here in the Vail Valley lives an opulent life, some more than others, but non the less, we have so much here. At times it is taken for granted but after watching this film and going to Cambodia and Tanzania it is becoming more apparent to me that there is so much more than wealth to the world. So, when watching this film and seeing how the families filmed coped with having around one dollar a day to spend while still providing for their children and their children's education...it was nothing less than inspiring.
Looking at the drastic differences in lifestyle between the Guatemalans and people here in Vail/the US, there are actually quite a few similarities in what we value. Family is a huge importance in our lives. The Guatemalans and people in the US put family first, especially in close-knit communities where extended family is commonly found. Money is also a widely found value, no matter where you are in the world, but more people here have the luxury of using money to not only buy things we need, but things we desire. In the film, one of the young boys who became friends with the crew, labored each day to help his parents pay for his education. Not only is that a huge sense of independence for a child but he realizes the value of education over using the money for a "toy." How we, as humans, use our money is entirely dependent on how much we have and that is what makes someone as young as the boy in "Living On A Dollar" so independent. One last universal value is; happiness. The crew interviewed numerous families in Guatemala and no matter how hard their struggle they continued to smile and offer nothing but kindness. Many people here have all the money in the world but can't lend out a single helping hand, not even a smile. We should take a lesson from the people in Guatemala as well as the millions of others faced with hard lived and continue to value happiness at the end of the day. So I intend to take these three values; family, money and happiness into mind while going to Nicaragua. I don't just want to learn names, I want to know about their families and the hardships they have conquered. I hope to learn what family, money and happiness mean to them and if I in anyway can help influence their lives in a positive way.
