In week twelve, I have learned about Self-Reliance and Microcredit. I had the great opportunity to learn from Yunus in a BYU Commencement Address, read an article titled "Catching the Vision of Self-reliance," viewed a video on How can self-reliance eliminate poverty, watched another video on Bonsai Trees, and one more video on Poverty, Money – and love." One of the key takeaways I have learned from this week is Yunus encourages us to be dreamers and don't give up on dreams. Another takeaway is self-reliance involves education, health, employment, family home production and storage, family finances, and spiritual strength. Three beliefs and responsibilities a self-reliant person should have is provide for oneself and one's family, self-efficacy–or the belief to be able to do hard, new things, and have a long-term perspective.
One of the subjects I absolutely enjoyed going over for this week was Yunus' analogy of the Bonsai Tree. Maybe it is because I love to garden and take care of my own trees in the backyard. I have a few trees that are actually typically not known to belong in pots and yet they are still thriving under my care. I have an apricot tree and fig tree, both of which I grew on my own. A neighbor gave me a few cuttings of their fig and I grew my own tree out of it. As for the apricot, I grew that one by seed. Sure, it won't be just like the parent tree, but that was my goal since the parent tree struggles to make fruit and I believe I could grow an even better apricot tree. I do not want my potted trees to get too large where I cannot maintain it on my own anymore. At the moment, my fig tree is borderline almost too tall, but I hope it stays at the current height at about seven or eight feet tall. Yunus explained the Bonsai Tree only stays as small as its roots are allowed to grow. He said people are the same way. In order to get out of poverty, people need room to grow. They need to get out of the small container others have placed them in. Individuals need to learn to get out of those containers on their own, grow, and prosper through their self-reliance.
As I have mentioned in a couple of my previous Reflections, I was born with a few health issues. I am not the average individual who can get up and head to a nine to five kind of job. I still do my best to live a normal life though. Yes, I do live with my mom and she helps me with a lot of things around the house. In fact, she helps me with even more things since I received my kidney transplant this past December after I have waited six years on dialysis. However, I still do a couple of things on my own in terms of self-reliance. I can make myself a bowl of cereal, bake, and cook a little with my mom acting as sous chef. I can organize my laundry so it can be taken to the laundromat. I can handle my college education on my own. I can handle my own finances and budget wisely. I have all my medicine and medical paperwork organized. I am sure once my body adjusts to the new kidney, I will be a little more self-reliant. For now, I am okay with where I am at with life.
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