Most of the patients delivered to Mother Teresa's various Kolkata centers come from either Howrah or Sealdah train station. Volunteers patrol these stations on a daily basis in search of the sick, dying, and mentally handicapped. Upon finding a potential patient, the volunteers will usually carry the poor man or woman to the street and hail a taxi. At this point a argument typically ensues between the volunteer and taxi driver, who understandibly is concerned about transporting the sometimes half-dead patient. Once the volunteer and driver arrive at a fair price, the patient is delivered to one of the MC centers. Immediately following their arrival at a center the patient is cleaned, fed, given a fresh set of clothes, and assigned a bed. Patients may still with the MCs for a couple of days, or they may stay for several years. The transformation that occurs, both mental and physical, over the course of a patient's stay is fascinating. I think this transformative process gets to the heart of Mother Teresa's work: restoring dignity.
During the past several weeks I have had the pleasure of seeing this transformation occur. Many of the patients found at the stations have been stripped of all human dignity. Many lie prostrate on the train station platforms amidst piles of their own fecies, simply to weak to move. Travelors at the bustling stations carefully avoid their dying companions, eager to reach their destination on time. Unseen and unloved, these future patients have lost all human dignity. By taking these patients into their care, the missionaries of charity restore hope to the eyes of individuals who may have completely given up. This hope returns usually develops slowly under the careful encouragement of the sisters at the MC Centers. Patents enter lacking both health and dignity, and often leave with both restored.
Not only do the missionaries change the lives of their patients, they also spread christian charity and human dignity throughout the societies in which they work. After working with a particularly emaciated man at Howrah station, I was approached by an Indian passerby. The Indian proposed that instead of nursing such a man back to health, I should be delivering euthanization pills. In response I tried to explain the concept of inherant human dignity, a cause for which Mother Teresa was such a stauch proponent. I don't know if the conversation was fruitful, but it caused me to reflect upon the cause for human dignity in a poverty stricken country. In India poverty is so widespread, there is a strong temptation to throw in the towel. There are so many who have lost all their dignity, who seem completely abandoned by society, why even try to help them? The sheer magnitude of the problem tempts one to reject the concept of inherant human dignity. The Missionaries of Charity seek to help societies, cultures, and countries resist this temptation. Their charitible work is a witness. This witness works to motivate citizens into solidarity with the poorest of the poor.
During the past several weeks I have had the pleasure of seeing this transformation occur. Many of the patients found at the stations have been stripped of all human dignity. Many lie prostrate on the train station platforms amidst piles of their own fecies, simply to weak to move. Travelors at the bustling stations carefully avoid their dying companions, eager to reach their destination on time. Unseen and unloved, these future patients have lost all human dignity. By taking these patients into their care, the missionaries of charity restore hope to the eyes of individuals who may have completely given up. This hope returns usually develops slowly under the careful encouragement of the sisters at the MC Centers. Patents enter lacking both health and dignity, and often leave with both restored.
Not only do the missionaries change the lives of their patients, they also spread christian charity and human dignity throughout the societies in which they work. After working with a particularly emaciated man at Howrah station, I was approached by an Indian passerby. The Indian proposed that instead of nursing such a man back to health, I should be delivering euthanization pills. In response I tried to explain the concept of inherant human dignity, a cause for which Mother Teresa was such a stauch proponent. I don't know if the conversation was fruitful, but it caused me to reflect upon the cause for human dignity in a poverty stricken country. In India poverty is so widespread, there is a strong temptation to throw in the towel. There are so many who have lost all their dignity, who seem completely abandoned by society, why even try to help them? The sheer magnitude of the problem tempts one to reject the concept of inherant human dignity. The Missionaries of Charity seek to help societies, cultures, and countries resist this temptation. Their charitible work is a witness. This witness works to motivate citizens into solidarity with the poorest of the poor.
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