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I recently wrote a blog post on the Yakezie about my trip to Ethiopia, a beautiful and fascinating country located in the horn of Africa. I talk about the lessons I have learned, and how we are all blessed. Here is an excerpt:
“I recently had the good opportunity to travel to Ethiopia, a beautiful and fascinating country located in the horn of Africa. My trip over there was a mind-opening experience: I saw striking contrasts of wealth and poverty, and of beauty and misery…
These people live close to the land and to nature, which is a romantic notion for some, but it’s not romantic when you are the victim of drought, famine, or government oppression… the greatest benefit of international travel is that one can truly see how the world can be so different from place to place, even though people all around the world are striving toward the same thing: happiness, and personal fulfilment.
If you were born and live in a country near the top of the Index of Economic Freedom, then chances are you have access to a wide range of opportunities that other people can only dream of… I wonder, how many of these people could be future life-saving doctors, famous scientists, or world-renown artists, if only they had the opportunity to do so?”
We are all blessed…
Read more at the Yakezie: Don’t Let Time Pass You By
Very inspiring post. I have often wondered about this myself. I guess that is what drives me to give back, donate, and help where I can. If I can make even a subtle difference in some of these people’s lives it puts them one step closer to reaching their dreams which they deserve to do. Gosh, if only I could win the lottery and make a real difference!!
Sometimes I dream of the things I would do if I had a trillion dollars… heh.
Thanks for the kind comments on the post here and at the Yakezie too 🙂 I believe in helping others and I like it even better when it can be a two-way dialogue, as in helping others through trade and mutually beneficial exchange. This is something I tried to engage in when I was over there, by giving food or buying meal tickets, or paying people to be my guide.
I think more people should travel and see how good we have it! I saw both the good and the bad… I faced kids that threw sticks at me because I didn’t have anything to give them, but I also saw poor Ethiopians giving to the blind and the old even though they didn’t have much to give themselves… that is real charity.
I would love to visit Africa someday. Ethiopia sounds much nicer than I imagined.
It’s a beautiful country for sure! I would like to go back to Africa and see more of the nature and countryside, as well as ancient architecture.