Two Pieces of Chocolate Cake for A Day's Work

I am in Goa, India for those of you who did not know. And they say it is not India, but I have also heard that Key West is not the United States. People always want to tell you what something is or isn't. Goa has a much greater portugese and catholic influence then the rest of India. It was founded by the Portugese back in the day and you will find quite a few beautiful cathedrals here in Goa. A day laborer in India will make about hundred rupees a day. This will translate to about a little more then two American dollars or in my case two pieces of a cake called "cholocate Malibu almond" cake. In the states I would not eat such thing in most cases and would instead opt for an amazing vegan desert. Needless to say I have abandoned that sort of thinking in India. I will be basically in short period of times consume a day's wages for one man at one brief sittting.

Our concetps of poverty are very different then a 3rd world countries conept of poverty. In many cases people here are working for what they need and not working for luxuries though that is starting to change as India is making "progress". There are over 30 billionaires in India according to Forbes magazine and their total net value is 191 billion. Yet, even in Goa a busy tourist town the cows and dogs still act as the garbage men. THey eat the garbage, but less often because the tourists feed the cows and dogs a little bit. This causes the garbage to pile uip along side the roads.

Something is almost always burning in this country. Not a day goes by that I don't smell something burning in the air. My nostrils have grown accustomed to it. There are so many thoughts that are going on in my mind at any given point in this country that it makes it nearly impossible to express even a fraction of it in my blogs. India is amazing in ways that is quite difficult for most westerners to see. Yet, the people do smile more often and the stuggle makes them feel alive. People India don't seem to suffer from boredom. Rarely do people in India have the privilege of boredom. India has inspired me in many different ways and has formed a greater resolve to accomplish certain goals. I was recently learning of the corruption of the cops in Goa and I became outraged for a moment. Making tourists in cars pay 900 rupee bribes. Then I remember how corrupt my own country was and it was just yesterday that someone stole some election and everything returned to business as normal. In 1st world countries politicians skim off the top and in 3rd world countries they just take the top. The gap in the United States between rich and poor is widening, but it still has not reached the point that it has in India.

Amazing when you think so few people control so many resources. You might know someone that you think has acquired a bit of money, but really they have less then pencil shavings unless you know one of these billionaires. WHere does all this money go? What are they waiting for? WHy don't we help more people? People's minds make people from separate from each other and therefore they think they are superior or poorer people thousands of miles away is not something that they are forced to think about. Sally Struthers is somebody elses mother and the people on television don't look like them and they don't speak english. Only if they had a lighter complexion and spoke English then perhaps more would be done.

I know that people are starting to wake up to the absurdity of the world and we are not powerless. We can effect change and there are more and more organizations doing just that. We can be part of the solution and we don't ever have to be bored unless we really want to be bored. THere is always people somewhere that could use your help. The best way to get over your own suffering is top help someone else with their suffering especially when there suffering is much more severe.