Faith, Cows and Good Deeds
Back in elementary school, I remember that my grade would fundraise to promote causes such as cancer or poverty awareness. Selfishly I remember a time when I nonchalantly passed those booths and clung on to that one dollar bill, thinking that my donation would have no impact. In my mind, I pitied those who were trying to promote philanthropic deeds. At most, their success would translate to helping, say, twenty-five families at most – what good was that if the rest of the starving or ailing population in Africa was suffering? Their efforts were a mere, if not even tinier than mere, fraction of help.
http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=0286eeece01439042a05dbec5c7a24ef37bcadc0
When 9-11 occurred, I was in the seventh grade. By then, I had transferred to a larger school. I recall the many clubs fundraising for the victims of the terrorist attack, and I chose the largest organization through which to show my support. I felt that my contribution would actually mean the most. However, in the midst of all the fundraising talk, there was one story that really changed my perspective on philanthropy: a small tribal group in Kenya pooled their resources to give the United States fourteen cows to remember the victims of the terrorist attacks. Fourteen cows. Now, at first, I laughed. What would the United States, in all its power and glory, do with fourteen cows? Milk them?
But as I heard more about the story, I was struck by the sincerity of this Masai tribe. What touched me was how much fourteen cows meant to the Masai tribe: the cow is not only a sacred animal used in their ceremonies, but a source of their nutrients. Keep in mind that fourteen cows cost about $3000, and the GDP per capita was about $1500 at the time. There were about 15 families in the village. These earthly people gave much to the U.S. as a blessing of goodwill and hope – and to think that before then, the U.S. probably didn’t even know that this village of Masai even existed.
Now, consider that this Masai tribe lived in a remote village near the border of Tanzania and Kenya. Living so far away, knowing that the United States had so many resources, they still went out of their way to sympathize with the distant U.S. over a tragedy that would not affect them. During 9-11, no doubt certain countries felt uncomfortable extending a helping hand - put into more crude terms, it probably felt like trying to help the rich billionaire uncle who lost his house in a recent fire. What an awkward position. Yet the Masai felt a conviction that their deed would translate into something good: even if their gift provoked laughs, then at least it inspired me: however measly the kind of help a person can offer, give with the hopes that something good will result. There’s a lot of faith to go with this, and it can take a person a long way.
To tie this in with the Project Millennium Development Goal, in which my focus will be on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, it maybe true that my proposals may not greatly impact the cause of eliminating hunger/poverty. Even though my ideas may not go a far away, I don’t think I will be discouraged from trying to alleviate extreme hunger/poverty. There’s a story I once read in “Chicken Soup For the Soul.� I forget if it was the first, second or third version, but the story went something along the lines of this: a man is walking along a beach, when he sees hundreds of starfish stranded on the beach. Having a good heart, he bends down to throw them back into the sea, one by one. A stranger witnesses this action and comments that the man is foolish in thinking that he can save the stranded starfish population. In response, the starfish man picks up another starfish, throws it back into the ocean and responds, “It made a difference to that one.� I think that when trying to pursue our goals, we don’t have to be stubbornly idealistic – a perfect world sans hunger and poverty can only be granted by God, but if you have the ability to help someone else, then do so because you can.
To me this poem, written by Emily Dickinson, is full of drive:
If I can stop one heart from breaking
I shall not live in vain:
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
This poem encourages a person not to just sit back and relax, but to live life with a meaningful purpose. I may not cure the world of hunger and poverty, but in trying something, at least I have the comfort of knowing that it is better to help one person than helping no person at all.
playlist:
1) "Union" by Black Eyed Peas
2) "My Grown Up Christmas List" as performed by Amy Grant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvuTHCLB3o0&feature=related
3) "Don't Give Up"/"You Are Loved" as performed by Josh Groban
WORKS CITED
Delio, Michelle. “How to Thank Kenya for 9/11 Cows.� 05 June 2002.
Majtenyi, Cathy. “Kenya’s Maasai Commemorate 9-11 Victims.� VOA News, 11 September 2006.
Sanders, Kerry. “Changing the World One Cow at a Time.� NBC News, 25 November 2006.