A Trip into the Mountains

First Published: 11th of December, 2021

Here is a beautiful story I found on a Bolivian Tourism site and decided to adapt it and publish it here because the story shares many similarities with the country of Guyana. Even though the story most likely did not originate in Guyana, it is very applicable to the people of Guyana and contains many important life lessons relevant to all Guyanese.

Dad, What is it Like to be Poor?

A businessman, wanting his son to know what “being poor,” felt like, took him to spend a couple of days in the mountain with a peasant family. They spent three days and two nights in their modest home.

In the car, returning, the father asked his son, “What did you think of the experience?”

“Good,” replied the son staring into the distance.

“And… What did you learn?” the father insisted

The son replied:

1. – That we have a dog, and they have four.

2. – We have a hot tub.. and they have an endless river, of crystal clear water, where there are little fish.

3. – That we have reflectors to light up our garden, while they rise with the stars and the moon.

4. – Our yard reaches the fence, and theirs reaches the horizon.

5. – That we buy our food; they sow and reap theirs.

6. – We hear CD’s… They hear a perpetual symphony of swallows, frogs, sheep, cues, and other little animals.

7. – We cook in microwave ovens… Them, everything they eat has that wood stove flavor.

8. – To protect ourselves, we live surrounded by a wall, with alarms. They live with their doors open, protected by the friendship of their neighbors.

9. – We live connected to smartphone, Facebook, TV. They instead are “connected” to life, to heaven, to sun, to water, to green mountains, to animals, to their seeds, to their family.

The father was shocked by the depth of his son, and then the son ended, “Thank you dad, for teaching me how poor we are and how rich they are.”

Let’s not forget the timeless truth: the best things in life are free. If this story blessed your heart, please share it to bless the heart of someone.

Source: Bolivia 360