Last week I watched the film "The Pursuit of Happyness" starring Will Smith, about a single father's struggle to survive in a competitive, corporate world. At the end of the film I thought that perhaps it would have been more appropriate to call it "The Pursuit of Money", which left me pondering how closely many of us link money and happiness in our Western culture.
Money certainly can provide us with an easier existence, ensuring at the most basic level that we have the essentials for survival such as food, clothing and shelter. But our society's preoccupation with the accumulation of money as being essential to achieve 'happiness' leaves me feeling uneasy. That said, in the film there were many laudable and poignant sentiments, including the strength of a father's love for his son and his determination to provide him with a decent life and a chance to be happy. In my view all children deserve to be championed in this way.
At World Emergency Relief we work to bring hope of future happiness to children, their families and communities who are struggling against poverty and despair - giving children a living chance. We and our local partners champion them in the face of injustice, natural disasters and cruel circumstance. In an ideal world, childhood should be a time of innocence, uncorrupted and free from harmful experiences. Unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world. All too often childhoods are cut short as the grim reality of poverty and conflict forces them to grow up way too fast, often with no real concept of happiness beyond pure survival.
This leads me to remember a poem I once read as part of the Songs of Innocence by William Blake. The opening line reads:
"The sun does arise and make happy the skies."
It does not take a lot to make children happy. Food, shelter, love. The chance to learn and to play without fear of pain or hunger. Hope for the future, for themselves and those they love.
WER's 'Be a Good Egg' campaign is raising money to buy laying hens for people in poorer countries, for them to eat or sell. It's a simple concept that is changing lives as people begin to eat better and find a little economic independence.
