Your huddled masses
NYC - A city so beautiful and complex that to try and say anything about it would do it so little justice. All of us said this three day trip to New York was the most expensive, most hectic and most rewarding part of our trip. We planned everything with military timing and had fun and more fun.
Looking back over the photos I am reminded of this terrible pull money has on us. On the bottom of the Statue of Liberty is a phase, so famous, it is used by politicians and film makers alike. The famous phrase by Emma Lazarus:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
In the foreground of this picture the Statue that gave hope to millions of Europeans fleeing poverty, persecution and much more is framed by the Structures of Lower Manhattan – or the financial district of Wall Street to be more precise. How ironic, in one part of the picture we encourage the poor, the wretched refuse of humanity, whilst only a very short boat trip away is a district that generates daily, hourly wealth beyond my own comprehension, for just a very few people.
Jesus teaches us that the poor will always be with us, however we do not need to accept this poverty, even if you can't afford to pull individuals out of poverty, you can stand against those who aim to create a divide between us. God promises to accept us without wealth.
The picture is a wake-up call to myself, from God, when I complain about the bonus I received from work or the lack of a pay rise, that I am in the top 10% in the UK and certainly richer than over 80% of the world's population and what am I doing, myself, to help alleviate poverty?
Steve Fogo
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