When Stewart and I talked about moving to India, he voiced his concern that I was going to have a hard time with seeing all the poverty around me. I was used to driving around the US with bottled water and snacks in my car to pass out to the homeless. We talked about how we would find a non-profit that we could become involved with so we could help those in need. After being here for almost three months, it’s not the poverty that’s breaking my heart.
- It’s having a woman walk up to the car window holding a baby in her arms and begging for money. We don’t look. She smacks the baby to make it cry in an attempt to get us to give her what she wants. Most of the time, the baby isn’t even hers – it’s borrowed for begging.
- It’s watching the skeletal cows wander the streets. Hindus won’t slaughter the old cows. Instead, they turn them loose. I don’t see how not taking care of the cow and leaving it to fend for itself and eventually die on the streets is any better.
- It’s seeing the dogs starving and scavenging for food. Seeing dead dogs in the road hit by cars as they tried to cross the street. Seeing mangy dogs with skin diseases or skeletons where they died and the bodies just rotted to bones.
- It’s watching the police arrest a man and lead him to the police car to only beat him with their sticks before putting him in the car.
And I know this is just the beginning. We will see so much and be exposed to so much during our time here. I just pray that it doesn’t harden our hearts but, in fact, helps us become more compassionate humans.
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