In this season of greed that we call Christmas, I find myself, once again, amazed at the generosity of those who have nothing. I was recently in Sindh province, Pakistan, trekking into a village that had been hit by the monsoon floods last summer. It looked like an earthquake zone. Houses were crumbled. Stagnant polluted water was everywhere. It was the first time any aid agency had come to help the few families that had braved the conditions to return to what was left of their homes.
While walking through the foot-high mud, my sandal got stuck. When I tried to pull it out, it broke. That's when Mumtaz Ali Jarwar sprung into action. "You are a woman in our village," he said. "We respect you and cannot allow you to walk around without shoes." He found a twig and some string and managed a temporary fix. Unfortunately, it was temporary and did not last long.
He then offered me shoes from one of the village women. Remember, these are people who lost everything, and I mean everything in the floods. I didn't know what to do. I did not want to insult him, by refusing the offer. But I also did not feel comfortable taking his meagre belongings. So, I finally compromised and agreed to wear the shoes until I got back to the Red Cross car, at which point I would give them back. In the meantime, he took a second stab at fixing my sandal, and to this day, the fix is working like a charm.
I guess I should not be surprised at people's generosity, but I am. Especially in this season when it's all about buying that bigger and better item, stuff we really don't need but feel compelled to buy.
I am glad there are people like Mumtaz in the world. He is a real reminder of what humanity looks like.
While walking through the foot-high mud, my sandal got stuck. When I tried to pull it out, it broke. That's when Mumtaz Ali Jarwar sprung into action. "You are a woman in our village," he said. "We respect you and cannot allow you to walk around without shoes." He found a twig and some string and managed a temporary fix. Unfortunately, it was temporary and did not last long.
He then offered me shoes from one of the village women. Remember, these are people who lost everything, and I mean everything in the floods. I didn't know what to do. I did not want to insult him, by refusing the offer. But I also did not feel comfortable taking his meagre belongings. So, I finally compromised and agreed to wear the shoes until I got back to the Red Cross car, at which point I would give them back. In the meantime, he took a second stab at fixing my sandal, and to this day, the fix is working like a charm.
I guess I should not be surprised at people's generosity, but I am. Especially in this season when it's all about buying that bigger and better item, stuff we really don't need but feel compelled to buy.
I am glad there are people like Mumtaz in the world. He is a real reminder of what humanity looks like.
