a story from cambodia

rivers channeling yellow water, cascading through the rocks in the stream.. no matter how hard it hits the rock.. the rock never seems to move . just like the life of 2000 people living in the lake.. never shattered by any means of constraints and obstacles that come upon them.. TONLE SAP lake.. a lake that is second biggest in Asia.. fresh water lake. plays such a pertinent role in supporting the life of 2000 folks who inhabit there.. the people, relentless folks.. who do not even fear of the danger and dirt lurking inside the lake water, and never even give up hope on life having to live in such torrid condition. i was amazed and flabbergasted. at the same time. fell shamed of myself. deep inside my heart. i can feel the pain n agony these people had suffered over the years. Their life is in this lake. Bathing swimming playing cooking washing.. everything. Not a single thing miss out. They are humans who live on boats floating on the lake, using the lake water as their only. I stress this word. ONLY source of water.. living from hand to mouth, they do not even have electricity supply and computer is an unknown gadget from the future to them. Group of small children, around 5-10 years, enjoying themselves inside this lake. They are playing in the dirty and high bacteria density water. Certainly.. they do not grumble bout life. Television? It has appear in their life. But it is those with batteries. Another question mark to you? Imagine how is the lifestyle of those people.. as the boat that I was sitting moves around the lake. I saw an old lady, white-haired with those clear rough lining on her head, a result of many years of hardship and tough work, washing a pot in the river. I wonder to myself. How can they survive? How can the people here be free from sickness ? the water is so dirty. Yet they use it for daily chores. If I were to get even a drop of those water on my skin, surely rash will grow immediately. It is such a heartrending scene. To see these people living in the vicious cycle of poverty. A young boy at the age of 2 or 3 perhaps, already learned to row his boat. As I saw him jumped into his boat and row it to another boat, I realized that swimming and rowing a boat is a must to survive in this rundown water society.. guilt start to take control of myself. There are people in this world who live in such conditions. What do I crave for? Being contented is what we should learn from young. And yet till today. I have failed to master this valuable skill