Possible Answer

I have been reflecting a lot about the theme of poverty and what actions can bring about change. I think that when we see and become overwhelmed by poverty, we have two options. First, we can close our eyes. By doing this act, we are essentially ignoring the problem and pretending that poverty does not exist. This method works for a while which allows for a happy existence. It is a life without problems; a life in which all needs is being met. Second, we can choose to engage in it. Engagement has so many different meanings. We can begin by asking questions about why poverty exists in our world. We can become involved in the peace and justice movement. We can volunteer our time in a non-profit agency. We can literally converse with the person who is asking for money.
I like all of these methods of engagement. I have used all of these methods at various points in my life. I volunteered for one year in St. Louis. My volunteer placement consisted in talking and listening to individuals with mental illness and drug addictions. I then began to work full-time in my former volunteer placement for three years. I worked with at-risk youth in East St. Louis. In college, I studied sociology and put an emphasis on poverty studies. I started to work with the anti-war movement and learned about the rights of immigrants. I even thought about living in a Catholic Worker house for a hot minute because I wanted to be more in solidarity with other peace activists in St. Louis. All of these experiences created an awareness of the injustices that exist in our world. It is with each of these experiences that deepened my faith and therefore lead me to Bolivia. However, I only learned about the last method of engagement about three weeks ago. It was through observing a friend as she was talking to a child who wanted to sell us some chocolate.
We were waiting for a friend to arrive and once our friend arrived, we were going out somewhere. As we were waiting, a beautiful little girl approached us and asked us if we wanted to buy chocolate. My natural instinct in this situation and other similar situations is to say, “No gracias” and then walk away. It is not great but it works. My friend took a different approach. She asked the little girl what her name is, how many brothers and sisters she has, what grade she is in, and where she sleeps at night. As I was watching this moment unfold, I stood slack-jawed and silent. She proceeded with confidence in this conversation. She talked as if this little girl had been in her first grade class in which she had previously left to become a missioner in Bolivia. She gave this little girl all of her attention as if no one else existed in the in the city of Cochabamba. She encountered Christ in the other, in the poor, and in the marginalized.

Tanta Pobreza

As I walk through the streets of Cochabamba, I am witnessing a different type of lifestyle. There are old men who are just sitting outside and watching people walk past them. There are people who are waiting for the buses to arrive and take them somewhere. There are indigenous women selling fresh fruit and vegetables. They wear a knee-length skirt which is blue, pink, green or another color. There are also two very long braids in the back of their heads. Open spaces transform themselves into an area for a lunch break. The whole business world stops for an hour as the workers replenish their body with food.
As I continue my journey throughout the city, there are other images that present themselves to me. There is an overwhelming amount of women and children selling stuffed animals, candy and gum, cigarettes, fake flowers, and water to anyone who is willing to make eye contact with them. They sell during the day and night in order to make their lives a little bit better. There are number of older indigenous women and men who hold their hands open to receive money from any who pass by them. With their hands open, there is a hope within their eyes that someone is going to give them money. There are glue-sniffers. They sniff glue and become high from the smell.
With these images ever embedded in my mind, the question is how does one escape from being a witness to this poverty? Is it as simple as closing my eyes? Do I listen to my I-Pod which drowns out the plea for money? Do I cross the street in order to avoid the older woman asking for money? Should I use sunglasses so I literally do not see the poverty? Do I pretend not to understand Spanish? Do I stay in my room and not venture out into the city? I am so confused in how to act in these situations. I want to give money or purchase something but then does it really help to solve the problem. Is their quality of life being improved with the act of buying something? I don’t know. Then, how I do help when I am surrounded by so much poverty? I wish that I had an answer, but I can always ask questions.