I was thinking recently. I know, I know this is a very stupid habit of mine. No, seriously, I was thinking about inequality of people's lives.We all live in parallel words. One world is our real everyday life. We need food, shelter, meaningful occupation, something to be busy with and be happy or content with it. We need to earn money! Another world is our dreams, make believe world.
I think lots of immigrants live in a fantasy world. They come with dreams and visions about better life and those dreams create the ideal or close to the ideal world they live in... their head. When I'll get status...When I'll get a proper education, job, business... When I'll retire...
When I'll get married, buy a house...When my children grow up...
We live in this fantasy world for years, sometimes without realization that real life goes on and passes by so fast that unless we jump from this phantom dream bandwagon into reality and start living this real life and now - we might never be able to accomplish anything worth dreaming about.
We have to live now and if we do not like our current life - change it now - not when something else happens. I always remember that legendary guy in my old country who lost both his legs during second World War and managed to become a pilot again. That guy did not live in his fantasy world, he managed to accomplish his impossible dream and live it.
When I see young people with both arms and legs and reasonably healthy living in extreme poverty and unable to find a job to support themselves decently, I always want to ask,'What kind of world are you living in? Why?'
In real world every day is a fight - with everything that prevents you to live fully and happily on this planet. We have to be brave and strong and never give up if we want to accomplish something. And if you don't want to fight? Well, civilized society is not going to let you die hungry on the street. But don't expect much, let's face it - you are not entitled to much, unless you've earned it.
And for that you have to get up early and go, and if you've failed today, try again tomorrow, as long as you are alive. It's very simple, I think.
Okay, I understand that your start up might be different if you are a recent penniless immigrant or if you have family money to back up your needs.
World of some rich celebrity and mine, they are completely different, they indeed parallel without any connection to each other. World of some drug addict living on a street is completely different from mine, or some native person's, who is living deep North on god knows what and how.
It was such an eye opening for me when I realized how much real poverty exists in Canada in remote places, where people live with bad education, no jobs, no money and under local very strong peculiar traditions that hold them tight and permanently in that state (of poverty and ignorance).
This parallel world I do not want to be part of, and it's a shame that we have it in existence in Canada. We help everybody around the world. What about helping people who are part of our history? Not with money as you never know where these money might end up, in what big pockets and fast greedy hands.
Start with real education. About self esteem, health, money, civilization, all necessary skills to survive and to prosper. Can we do that? Is it so hard to accomplish? To have the greatest schools on Indian reserves, so in future we do not have any reserves, just areas where anybody can live if he wants to. And be proud of it.
Is this too much to ask? Talking about parallel words, recently my son's friend died suddenly. No one knew he was living on a street, homeless, even his parents had no idea. Everybody failed him - society, his parents and he, himself. I felt so guilty and hopeless. Such unnecessary tragedy. Next time I pass somebody sitting on the pavement in downtown may be I should stop and ask him why...
