Not everything in life is clear, especially after we have the opportunity to reflect on the situation. People seem to have the ability to reshape recent history and current opportunities so that the past looks very different than it really was and the present is molded into their particular perspective. Those with a few material possessions often live in a dream world while those who face the challenge of surviving everyday see life clearly.
I always enjoy being in New York’s Fulton Fish Market. You know when you arrive that this is a group of guys that are wrestling with challenges in getting through the day that a suburbanite will never face. First, most of the time there are the elements; numbing cold, unforgiving darkness, and rough cobble stone streets set up uphill environment in which they have to work their shift with 250 plus pounds of fish precariously set on a hand truck. Second, the past shapes the present where everyone is required to earn the respect others give you, nothing is free. Third, money is scarce, bills are demanding in all quarters, and winning the pot is illusive.
These guys are smart, loyal, and with respect very helpful. They also see the world for what it is; nothing more. True there those from Wall Street who stride through during the late work hours, their body language taunting just how much they know. In reality “the rich think they know it all, but the poor can see right through them.” (Proverbs 28.11) People are people and the perspective of the guys in the market is usually very accurate.
Sadly with knowledge rarely comes perfection or even wisdom. Even with their ability to see life as it is the guys in the market are very human, full of mistakes and I centeredness. The key lies in hope. It is hard to find in the middle of a winter’s night as one fights with a hand truck stuck in the cobblestones. With hope comes everything in the dawn – this is what God’s sons and daughters must deliver.
