Demise of the Money Plant

The whole world's talking about economic woes. I have a few of my own.

Back in the spring of April 2007, I posted this picture on a blog of a lush plant I bought and was so excited to find out it is called a money plant.

I was hoping to find tens or twenties growing on it within a year or so.

Well here we are a year and a half later, and I will tell you I'm a better outdoor gardener than indoor. Apparently the darn thing needed water or something. I'm ashamed to post the picture, but here's what that plant looks like now. Pathetic.

I'm afraid that may be a picture of some people's savings and pensions given the latest economic crisis, and I do not jest about that. It must be a terribly frightening time especially for seniors who had planned to live on money that has now dried up, just like my plant. Very troubling indeed.

Somehow I think many in our North American culture have come to believe we will always be secure and have plenty, and though there is poverty all around us in our urban centres, those of us with a paycheque and a comfortable life can find it easy to become oblivious to those with little. Hunger to us, is when our stomach rumbles after having had 2-3 meals that day, with snacks in between. Our spare time is taken in amusing ourselves, spending plenty of time and money on entertainment lest we succumb to boredom. Maybe we need a bit of a shakeup?

If you asked an average child/teen/twenty year old in our North American culture what their favorite activities are, what would their responses be? Video games, IPOD, cell phone, IPhone, MSN, MySpace, TV, going to a movie, hangin' out with friends.....?

This week I got an update from a friend who is 14 and she lists her 3 top favorite activities as:

1) sweeping,

2) fetching water,

3) washing clothes.

Fetching water.

That's probably a clue that the other favorite...washing clothes... will be a chore done without a washing machine. If these are her favorite activities, does she know the meaning of the word leisure?

Picture yourself fetching water everytime you need some for drinking, cooking, washing, and growing your food. Kinda puts the Iphone on the back burner.

About a year ago we began to sponsor this teenager, Josiane, through World Vision. She lives in Rwanda and is in grade 4. Her parents died some time ago. She lives with relatives with a family of their own and they find it difficult to care for her. Here is the description from World Vision of Josiane's community:

"The social fabric of the community has been ravaged by Hutu and Tutsi genocide. Your child has survived the killing of thousands of friends, neighbours or fellow citizens. Unfortunately, many of Rwanda's families are headed by widows with no means of support. More than 85,000 families ...{can you grasp that number?} ... are headed by children - sometimes as young as 11."

I truly feel for people in our culture who are struggling financially through no fault of their own. Perhaps it's a time for all of us to take stock of all we have, be grateful for a roof, a bed, food and clothes, and give out of any abundance we have beyond that, to those who don't even have those basics. That said in a week when a complaint has been filed with the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission, declaring that high speed internet should be a basic human right, as opposed to 'suffering' with the misery of dialup. Oh my. Maybe we should make sure everyone has food first?