 |
| Mama (Lydia) at her 80th birthday celebration. |
 |
| Papa & Mama (Altimont & Lydia) at my brother's graduation as MD. |
I was in a state of rapturous gratitude a few days ago, and as I mulled over the journey of my family this is the thought that came to me: "It takes a something to pull yourself and your family out of poverty. It takes a force of nature." In this context when I think of a force of nature what comes to mind is the power and energy of a hurricane. That's the force I'm talking about - powerful and unrelenting.
When you consider that up to two thirds of the world's population lived in poverty and one in ten persons live in extreme poverty as of 2019 poverty update. This is based on data supplied by the World Bank according to website Our World In Data. People living in poverty as defined by the World Bank lives on $10 (international dollars) and $1.90 for those living in extreme poverty. Yes, friends, TWO THIRDS of the world population is living off $3650 per year and ONE out of every TEN persons is living on ONE DOLLAR & NINETY CENTS per day or SIX HUNDRED & NINETY THREE DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS per year! Up to 2013 a full one third of the world's 7+billion people were living in EXTREME poverty.
If it was easy the statistics would be different. If it was easy it would not be such a big deal when individuals and families achieve a financial well-to-do status. If it was easy, it would not be such a big fight to get out of poverty. When a family start life from zero, or in many cases, less than zero (from a deficit or negative position), all the forces seem to come against them as they try to escape poverty. The DESIRE has to be strong, the WILL has to be relentless and the MIND has to be strong as steel. From my observation, people at the bottom are often vilified and pushed down instead of being encouraged and given a boost. That's part of what makes it so hard to get out of poverty.
So please take a moment to ponder this. If your family is one of those who have made it out of poverty into a comfortable lifestyle or affluence and you haven taken it for granted, take a moment to give thanks and pay homage to those ancestors who gave everything they got to get your family to the point where you are not familiar with what it means to really work hard and struggle.
Over the last two decades I have personally redefined what is meant by "hard work". My grandparents and parents worked hard - they performed tough, arduous labour under brutal conditions. For example, my maternal grandfather, Grandville, worked on the Panama Canal. Many of the labourers died. He didn't die, but he returned to Jamaica a sick man. Me, I work long hours, sometimes under stressful conditions but I could not honestly say I perform "hard" work. Both my parents worked hard, they put in the hours - papa would get up early in the morning and attend to the animals and milked the cow and be back at home with the milk so Mama could make porridge for our breakfast. Mama was the "FORCE OF NATURE". The nurturer, motivator, encourager, nurse and vet - she cared for us children, the community as well as the animals. She didn't have more than 6th grade education but somehow she always knew what to do. Even in her late 70's she would not be afraid to climb a tree if it had what she wanted - ackee, breadfruit, you name it.
She fought for her brothers and sisters and pushed them hard. She was sometimes hated for it but she wouldn't stop because she always wanted everyone to escape poverty and live a good life. You did well for your family and your community Altimont and Lydia, you did well. I am blessed to be one of your eight children. You lead the way and shone light on the pathway for us, and I am forever grateful. I am also grateful for the community I grew up in. Every household, all the children from my generation in that community, to my knowledge have done well in life and have produced successful children of their own. We have made a positive impact in the countries, towns and cities were we settled. That is the IMPACT of my family and the tiny community in the small island nation of Jamaica.
I want to end this blog post by saying to all who will read this, if you can help one person find their way out of poverty you would have changed the life of generations into infinity. Think about it. It is about making maximum impact. You have maximum impact when you help a person escape poverty.
Walk good,
Beverley
