What matters to you?

I recently went on a school trip to rural Venda. I knew that we were going to a very rural area but I have to say my findings were way beyond my expectations. In this day in age, one would not expect to find a place in South Africa where people don't have electricity and no flushing toilets. I could easily deal with sleeping on the floor, in a mud hut, with floors that have cow dung for flooring and take a bath outside, and having to squat whenever I needed to relieve myself. However, what I could not take was children walking 3 hours to school, living their homes in the crack of dawn and returning just before the sun goes down. Those who have shoes and lunch are the fortunate ones. This reminded me of where I come from. I also come from a rural area, okay maybe semi rural because you can count the number huts and goat/cattle kraals in just one hand. Most of the houses of where I come from are very modern and there is electricity and running water. There are hardly any "rural" activities. Anyway, I also used to walk a long distance to school, but it was certainly not 3 hours. I always had lunch, which the class bully always took away from me, so I often had to go to my grandmother's house to have lunch, and if she was not there I just went home before after school.Yeah, I love my food like that.

As I saw these children living the way they do, I just couldn't help it but feel guilty about the way I always complain about stupid things all the time, like, there is no way in hell wearing the same dress twice in a week, or why should I eat my bread with no cheese in eat, or I will not have a plate of food which doesn't have any salad in it. Here I was staying with people who live on pap and morogo almost everyday. They rarely eat bread. Their breakfast is mainly soft porridge and those who can afford to, carry pap for lunch. You will never hear any of them complain about their food or the state of their torn clothes or their finished relaxed hair. They simply face each day as it comes and appreciate being alive and being happy, and just belonging to a family. The kids hardly eat sweets. Their only form of snack is the marula nuts that they pound out using stones. Cool drinks and "Sunday kos" are a luxury reserved for Christmas.

So then I wonder, how come people who have so much complain a lot? You find people complaining about their outdated cell phones, the hideous dress they got as a present, or the appalling food that a certain restaurant makes. Isn't it weird that the people who should not be complain about anything are the ones who complain all the time and those are supposed to be complaining hardly say a word? Strange? So what does this tell us about human beings? Maybe it is true what some people say, that the more money you have, the more problems you have. If there weren't any problems for the rich, they would not be complaining, would they now? Are the poor just quiet because they fell powerless to speak because they feel inferior? I wonder. So, which is the curse or the blessing, being poor or being rich? What would you prefer, being poor but happy, or being rich and miserable? What matters in life, money or contentment? I wonder....