Hello everyone, how are you? I hope you're doing well. This week's question is really interesting: how much does money affect a person's cleanliness? Does a person's level of cleanliness depend on money? This question can't be viewed in a black and white way. For me, sometimes neither has any effect.
I want to tell a story I learned from the news. In 2022, there was a scavenger who always carried soap and washed his hands before eating. We know that scavengers are categorized as economically disadvantaged. This proves that finances don't influence finances.
But on the other hand, I also believe that sufficient finances will provide a decent life. Sufficient finances can provide adequate hygiene facilities, such as clean water, hygiene products, a decent home, and so on. Money isn't everything, but it can also provide the necessary hygiene facilities at home.
The most standard hygiene facilities are soap, hand sanitizer, perfume, and so on. I also want to give an example that's close to my own life. I'm not mocking anyone, but I want to show that with sufficient finances, we will also live a decently clean life. In front of my house, there's a family with two children.
However, they only rent a small plot of land. There are no bathrooms, cooking facilities, or other facilities. The space is also cramped. I often see the two of them bathing outside; the bathroom is provided outside without a toilet. They even bathe in their clothes, because it's impossible to bathe completely naked. This makes me sad, especially since there are no proper bathroom facilities.
On the other hand, I also want to give another example: Jakarta, where several areas are still very slum-like. Slum areas make it difficult to maintain cleanliness. Likewise, access to clean sanitation and clean water is lacking. In fact, there are no proper water pipes. Many cases of clean water are only available for a few hours.
I want to share my perspective on these two realities: cleanliness doesn't require money, but access to cleanliness is facilitated by money. We can't turn a blind eye to this situation. Sometimes, environmental cleanliness requires infrastructure and financial support. We can't force ourselves to be rich, but sufficient finances will help us provide adequate health and sanitation facilities.
We can choose hygiene facilities on a budget. To paraphrase a religious teaching, cleanliness is part of faith. Therefore, we need to maintain our own cleanliness, at least our own. That's probably all I can share on this matter. This is my personal perspective. Do you agree? I look forward to your comments.
My name is Nurdiani Latifah. I live in Jakarta – Indonesia, and after 25 years I live in Bandung. I am a media staff at an NGO in Indonesia. I have worked in this institution for almost 2 years on issues of women and peace. I have been a journalist in Bandung for 3 years.
If you like his content, don't forget to upvote and leave a comment to show some love. You can also reblog if you want to. Also, don't forget to follow him to be updated with his latest posts.