Article May 21, 2001 Issue

A FLOODED ROAD TEACHES ME ...

Luisella Jaques-Deraney

The laughter of children overpowers an American song echoing in the distance. The children of this poor neighborhood of Manila are jumping into the gigantic puddles left by the monsoon. I drive by, trying not to drown my engine.

Maybe I should not have taken this flooded road after all. But the presence of the children draws my attention. I know they don't have much. Actually, some of them may have nothing to eat tonight. The joy they express swallows up any thought about what I lack. Their innocence touches my heart.

And suddenly, I have hope. Hope that there is a solution to poverty and hunger. A solution lying in the qualities so naturally beaming out of these children. Innocence and joy are power. Spiritual power. They have unlimited potential to change things. Each individual, even in the poorest or remotest part of the world, young or old, has wonderful qualities that do not depend on circumstances but that are the very essence of his/her being. Our recognition of and value of these qualities in ourselves and in others translates into progress.

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