A Tale of Two Worlds

This picture embodies a lot of what has struck me about India (click the picture to zoom in for a closer look).

In the foreground is a group of homes that have been built from whatever materials could be found. They are probably home to a bunch of construction workers and their families. The workers tend to migrate to wherever they are working with their families and when the job is done, they up and move on to the next one, family and all.

In the background, you can see a huge mall complex being built. Some of the tenants in the foreground may actually be helping to build it. Soon it will be filled with all sorts of goods and services and the surrounding neighborhoods will appreciate its close locale.

I know what it’s like to live in a world of malls. To go shopping and have options of what I would like to spend my “expendable” income on. I don’t know what it’s like to be in the other world. I have not had to struggle to put food on my plate. I have never had to choose whether my kids should work or go to school. I have never had to struggle for existence in a world that seems impossible to overcome.

Yet as I go though India, I can’t hope but notice that there are far more people living in the world that I don’t understand than in the one I do. Far more people toil for the comforts of a few than the other way around. I refuse to believe that this is due to laziness or a lesser intelligence or just dumb luck.

This disparity is also not unique to India, although the swelling population and social structures may make it more obvious. The system is broken, yet for those of us who benefit so greatly, it’s business as usual. I cannot reconcile this...