A Trashy Job

How do you feel? Does your heart break for them? Do you feel guilty for what you have and ashamed to tell them about your life?

The day I visited the Dump outside of Dumaguete, I felt indifferent…..I didn’t know how I felt. Is that a bad thing?? Not necessarily. I more had a desire to know the whys. Why was being a scavenger considered a job? Why did some kids not go to school, in order to work in the dump? Why is this allowed…..why is there even a main office? Too many questions with no real answers…..so I just had to be. I had to observe and explore this place; I had to talk with these people. These people who are just trying to make sure that their families can eat; these people who seemed to have a lot of joy. They weren’t crying out to us…..they weren’t asking for things. There life is what it is. They laugh, they talk, they banter……they humbly eat the food we brought them.

It was hot and the stench was overwhelming. We were literally atop a mountain of trash, surrounded by beautiful mountains, created by our creator. The trash went 6 meters into the ground, had been accumulating for 12 years, and was still amassing at a rate of 30 tons a day. In the sea of waste was makeshift shelters (poles and tarps), filled with trash and flies. It was a simple way to escape the sun. We climbed a “hill” and looked down at the surrounding communities.

More huts……across a stream…..embanked with more trash. People were bathing in the running water, they were washing their clothes. All we could do was contemplate it….realize that this is what they know. Most of them don’t have much access to media. They don’t know what is going on with Brangelina, about the lastest fashions, or what the hottest car is. They also aren’t reminded daily of what they don’t have. It is what it is, they do what they do.

Experiencing the Dump made me think of complaints I have had in the past, or have heard from others:

My house is a mess.

I hate my job.

The neighbor’s yard is a dump.

My house is falling apart.

Etc.,Etc.,Etc…..

We all suffer to a certain extent and nobodies suffering should be discounted. There are varying degrees and various ways; but in the end they all are equal in God’s eyes. He loves us each the same and asks each of us to have faith…..to seek him.

Does this mean we shouldn’t try to help those who are less fortunate then us? That we shouldn’t let what others go through touch our hearts, and humble us? No…..we really should do this more and more. It’s easy to be blinded by our wants, especially in a Western culture where we are bombarded at every moment with what we lack. Television, media, magazines, etc. do a good job of overstimulating our brains to something “better.” So how do we train ourselves to realize they are just ‘wants’, they are not ‘needs.’

Maybe, we learn from the people at the Dump. We stay thankful for what we do have and allow ourselves to be joyful in that. Stay thankful for our abilities, for laughter, for God’s beauty, for friends and family, the kindness of a stranger, and so much more.