A humbling lesson.
By Assertive Way
Key Takeaways
- Many people live in very hostile or difficult conditions, and still find joy and reasons to smile every day.
- Choose the energy you want to bring to your daily challenges and interactions.
- Find positivity by deliberately assigning a positive meaning to your experiences.
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I will never forget what it felt like when I visited the biggest slum in the world. It’s called Dharavi in Mumbai and it has nearly one million people living in it. It is also one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Slum first impressions
In the part of the slum I visited, there was little or no sanitation which led to serious disease spread at times. Many homes were holes in a mud huts the size of a king-sized bed, with no windows, and an open entry (no doors). You could see right in.
The corridors of these meandering streets carved out in that mud structure were very narrow, deep, and dark. I could see people inside their homes seated on the floor.
As we got deeper into the slum, I noticed a certain order in what seemed completely messy and chaotic. It felt like I was in a fully functioning underground world with an alternate reality.
One thing is to intellectually read about a slum and its numbers. It’s a completely different thing to walk through it and see its people going about their daily lives.
It was a humbling experience to walk through it and speak to residents. I knew they had every single reason to hate us, because we could remind them of injustice and inequality, yet they received us with graciousness and kindness.
They had every single reason to hate us, because we could remind them of injustice and inequality, yet they received us with graciousness and kindness.
The surprising reveal
Surprisingly, the slum was full of business life. In some of those mud holes, there were bakeries, leather goods, pottery, and recycling micro businesses. It was highly organized and the people working in them seemed focused and proud.
They had production, supply chain, and branding. They had equipment, teams, processes, and clients. And they took their work seriously. The slum also had schools, churches, markets that its people created and ran.
The joyful people
People were kind, warm, and welcoming. They had smiles in their faces. They were proud of their work. Kids would approach us smiling with an air of curiosity.
The schoolteacher was proud even though they had no basic resources in the school. In that chaos, they found work, pride, love, and joy.
During that slum visit, I felt hopeful. I saw how people found joy and created a home in what seemed an unwelcoming situation or place.
During that slum visit, I felt hopeful. I saw how people found joy and created a home in what seemed an unwelcoming situation.
Whatever you are going through right now, take it upon yourself to create a welcoming home where you are now, to cherish those who care about you, and to find meaning in the chaos you may feel your life is in.
Be grateful for the opportunity you have as a human to assign a positive meaning to your experiences, to be the change you want to be in the world and in your life, and to bring happiness to your interactions.
Want more inspiration on getting more joy?
- Here are 24 ways you can find more joy at work.
- And here are 4 ways to be more grateful so you can get more joy.
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Summary
I will never forget what it felt like when I visited the biggest slum in the world 10 yeas ago. It’s called Dharavi in Mumbai and it has nearly one million people living in it.
People were kind, warm, and welcoming. During that slum visit, I felt hopeful. I saw how people found joy and created a home in what seemed an unwelcoming situation or place.
Whatever you are going through right now, take it upon yourself to create a welcoming home where you are now and to find meaning in the chaos you may feel your life is in.
“The slums are not a place of despair. Its inhabitants are all working towards a better life.” – Vikas Swarup
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Hi Lucy, thank you so much for your comment. You can subscribe for my newsletter where I release the blog post, inspiring quotes, and other tips. Just visit https://assertiveway.com/newsletter and you can sign up there. I’d love to hear from you! Have a lovely day.
We need to build frameworks and funding mechanisms. Norene Hayes Kurzawa
Hi Norene, do you mean funding to support these poor communities? If so absolutely, I agree with it! Thank you so much for you comment!
Looking forward to reading more. Great blog article. Really thank you! Fantastic. Dorolice Sherm Dorkus
Hi Dorolice! Thank you so much for your encouraging comment! Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. It makes my day 🙂