TRUE VALUES

We live in a world of plenty, and in a world of want. For most of us here in Ireland, we have plenty. We may not be millionaires or anything like that, yet most of us don’t have to worry about our next meal or whether or not we have shoes and a warm coat to wear. So what if we don’t manage to dress in the most fashionable clothes, we are warm and clean and comfortable. Yet, are we?

My sister is a nun, working in Pakistan. She could tell us about want, yet most times she tells me about the beauty and gentleness of the people and how the smallest present lights up the eyes of the children in the hospital. Living in a poor area, the nuns are surrounded by poverty, yet they meet with happiness and innocence, and gratitude for the gift of life.

In this new, materialistic Ireland, perhaps it is the poor countries that could teach us a thing or two about the true values of life.