Pity

"India seems so beautiful but I don't know if I could handle seeing the poverty." We seem to love to pity people. Look at those women who are forced to live inside and have very strict restrictions when they go out, how awful. And the poor, what a disgrace. It's not that I don't see them as pitiful, I do, you're right, there is a part of it that is awful. As for the women it's their life. We may want them to be free but freedom comes with its burdens as well. Freedom to express yourself amongst women in countries which we see them as "not equal" is to some extent even greater than our own freedom. These women look at us and see anorexic and bolemic people who don't embrace their weight, or who are obese because they can't stop their depression from being overweight and just continue to eat, and say to themselves "how awful, what poor women". Poverty is something difficult to accept anywhere in the world but personally it's harder for me to accept that there is such poverty amongst people who can do something about being poor than accepting it for people who can't do anything about their being poor. People here are poor because they have no jobs ... look for a job! Poor because they are badly educated ... go to school! Yes, it's difficult and yes, it may be close to impossible but it is still possible. In India you are born poor and will die poor, nothing you do will change that, no matter how much education you get or anything else. It's a fact. It amazes me way more that people just won't look for a job, or won't try to not be addicted to drugs or go to a mental hospital or take care of themselves than that life is life and it's fact. I don't know if I'm doing a good job of explaining myself....