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[–] SelfReferenceParadox 0 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago 

I went to Africa as a kid, and it really altered my perception of how poverty works. I admit that I didn't travel to the poorest area of the country, but they had it pretty rough. A couple of things:

  • Most homeless people that I see have it significantly better than the average African I saw.

  • Despite endemic poverty, most people I saw were happier than I would have thought possible.

  • They found the colour of my skin genuinely facinating and would frequently ask me about it, yet modern concepts of race or what might be offensive were never brought up.

  • A kid, about my age, gave me a truck he made out of tin cans and a flip-flop he found on the ground. I still have it.

I'm not really sure what specifically the trip changed about my outlook on life, but I see it as a sort of early dost of reality in my life, something to keep me grounded. It was very real, if that makes sense.