Contrasts

We've had a wonderful few days in Barcelona. Vibrant, stylish city. However the contrast between this and the poverty is very sad. Intact I found it really upsetting to the point of crying for some. Yes, I know, it happens everywhere. We all know that, but its actually witnessing so much of it on a daily basis that brings it home. Just there, we seen a young man, around my sons ages, sleeping on a wall, then wakening and crouching down to pick up someone's cigarette butt. Walked over to someone near us who was smoking, to get a light, whilst holding his zip less trousers together as it was evident he had no underwear on. Dirty trousers, but handsome smiling face. Then another with completely deformed legs like I've never seen even working in orthopaedics for 26 years. Holding a plastic cup for change. Deformities in beggars who could have had operations as children, but who probably grew up being looked upon as freaks of nature. I could not even eat dinner one night as I was so upset by it all. Just heartbreaking, but what can I do? So many sad cases in a few days. It makes you extremely humble. I just don't like the contrast. Terribly depressing for me and God knows what it's like for them.

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Don't ever even THINK about going to India, then.

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Funnily we were talking about that. I'd be in bits. So sad. Cairo was also grim. I just feel helpless.

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We've just spoken to the most physically contirted person, not through alcohol or drugs. Wasn't able to give him much, but hopefully he'll get a square meal tomorrow. God love him.

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The land of the free doesn't look after its unfortunates too well either.

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yes it is a dilemma is it not? the haves and the havenots the rich and the poor - the west and the east and even in our own back yard.

it also relates to the concept capitalism - become rich by trading and working hard for yourself - hard workers boost the economies of the world but of course in Western countries unions have for eons protected the rights of the workers and ensured they are not exploited unlike the workers of India etc etc.

I know you were quoting Barcelona but all bit cities have the same examples. But deep down it's how we are prepared to care for each other. Some say lazy tramps - don't help others there but for the sake of God go I

take ya choices - help the world or don't

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I went to Bulgaria a few years back and if you went off the beaten track you wouldn't believe what you saw. Blind lepers and gypsies begging on the streets. And this was happening just a few streets away.. very upsetting to see.

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are youu still upset?

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What do you think?

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I had a similar experience many years ago visiting the former Yugoslavia. I had visited the country many time - always the wealthy, comfortable southern coastal regions - and had absolutely loved it. The people seemed hardworking, happy and relatively well off. Then one year, we decided to visit Albania (then still a Stalinist dictatorship under Enver Hoxha and the Albanian Communist Party). To access Albania, we had to drive north through the Yugoslavian area of Montenegro. We were totally shocked. The villages were little more than mud huts, the people ragged and in abject poverty - like the scenes we saw regularly on TV featuring famine-hit areas of Africa or Asia. In comparison, the Albanians were much better off - no rich, but no poor either.