How do most people find joy? Do they play sports, ride a bike, or play with friends? When I try to find joy, I do things that make me happy. Some things that make me happy are playing sports, praying, being around animals and young children, singing, and/or reading, but how do kids in poverty find joy? They don’t have the resources we do, they don’t have the eligibility we do, and they might not even have a family to love. So, where can they even find joy? Let me tell you.

 Kids in poverty may not have the things that I said in the first paragraph, but what they do have is their hearts and imaginations.  In “Craig Kielburger Reflects on Working Toward Peace,”  a little boy named Jose found a glass bottle from the trash can and would play soccer in the streets with his friends. That same little boy who had nothing gave the only thing that he owned to a man named Craig Kielburger. Jose gave the shirt off of his back, the only thing he owned, and his most prized possession to a man that he had just met a few hours before. Would you be able to do that? Give the shirt off of you back, the only thing you own, and your most prized possession? Most people in today’s day and age can’t. We have almost everything we need at our fingertips: shelter, food, a good community, yet that little boy gave everything he had without even taking a second guess. 

Kids in poverty do find ways to make themselves happy. I would say that the children in poverty have a better imagination and a better heart than the average person who isn’t in poverty. Us who aren’t in poverty rarely use our imagination for things because we don’t necessarily need to. We have other things to entertain us like cellphones, tablets, TVs, ect, but children in poverty have none of that, so they are forced to use their imagination to entertain themselves and keep themselves occupied. 

I’m not saying that all kids only use electronics to occupy themselves, I don’t. I love to be outside and to be with my animals. Yes, sometimes I will watch TV or be on my family’s Home Phone to entertain myself, but that is only sometimes. I can say that I am not in poverty. I can also proudly say that I love to use my imagination and use my good heart to do good deeds. I love to makeshift volleyballs, shot puts, or disc (discus). I also enjoy helping people. It makes my heart swell with joy to help people; I love to help teachers with things, help my mom cook, and/or even clean the house (by myself).

 In conclusion, we have so much that we take for granted in our lives and we need to take advantage of those things. We have opportunities that people in poverty may never get, and we need to take hold of them. I have no idea what it is like to be in poverty, but I try to put myself in their shoes; even then I still can’t imagine what it is like. We need to be the kind of people who have at least tried to make a difference in our school, county, home, and community. Some children in poverty live a happier life than the average american. They know how to be happy without gadgets. When will we get to that point in our lives, country and community?