An individual poor person is an isolated island by himself and herself. IT can end that isolation overnight.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the loneliness experienced by individuals struggling with poverty and suggests that connection and support can alleviate their isolation.
Muhammad Yunus highlights the deep sense of isolation that often accompanies poverty, suggesting that individuals living in poor conditions can feel like solitary islands. He advocates for the power of community and connection, indicating that by fostering relationships and support systems, those in poverty can overcome their feelings of loneliness and despair, transforming their lives quickly and dramatically.
In practice
During a motivational talk aimed at community service volunteers.
Civilization has given us enormous successes: going to the moon, technology. But then this is the civilisation that took us to debt, environmental crisis, every single crisis. We need a civilization where we say goodbye to these things.
What I did not know yet about hunger, but would find out over the next twenty-one years, was that brilliant theorists of economics do not find it worthwhile to spend time discussing issues of poverty and hunger. They believe that these will be resolved when general economic prosperity increases. These economists spend all their talents detailing the process of development and prosperity, but rarely reflect on the origin and development of poverty and hunger. A a result, poverty continues.
People.. were poor not because they were stupid or lazy. They worked all day long, doing complex physical tasks. They were poor because the financial institution in the country did not help them widen their economic base.
Some people think that poor people are lazy. Actually, it takes a lot of work to survive when you are dirt-poor.
Once poverty is gone, we'll need to build museums to display its horrors to future generations. They'll wonder why poverty continued so long in human society - how a few people could live in luxury while billions dwelt in misery, deprivation and despair.
By simply capitalizing on core strengths and knowledge, companies and entrepreneurs can engage in an emerging business model that will enable them to create - and demonstrate - real, sustainable social impact in society.
Sorry is the Kool-Aid of human emotions. It's what you say when you spill a cup of coffee or throw a gutter ball when you're bowling with the girls in the league. True sorrow is as rare as true love.
We don't have a word for the opposite of loneliness, but if we did, I could say that's what I want in life.
People tend to have one of three 'styles' of interaction. There are takers, who are always trying to serve themselves; matchers, who are always trying to get equal benefit for themselves and others; and givers, who are always trying to help people.
There are some needs only you can see. There are some hands only you can hold. There are some people only you can reach.
I'll bet you anything you like that half an hour after they have met, they will be calling each other sister. Women only do that when they have called each other a lot of other things first.
They who go Feel not the pain of parting; it is they Who stay behind that suffer.
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