b) My own personal Story

4. I have my own ideas about the value and use of money and the advantages of a simple life-style which lead me to feel more closely tied in with some of the uneasiness in the religious life or the lives of some of our Brothers. All this makes it difficult for me to fully comprehend some things that are happening nowadays. During my childhood and teenage years, I lived through privation and want on a continent devastated by war. On top of that, my country suffered the consequences of an international blockade that lasted until 1955. I think that I belong to one of the last groups that sometimes went without basic necessities in our training houses. Some of our companions con-tracted tuberculosis from insufficient nourishment. Brothers already out teaching suffered a similar fate. In such circumstances a sense of privation, thrift, and the need to economize was drummed into us. Since money was scarce, it was valued. That is an aspect of my training that is still with me. It serves me well, and gives direction to my efforts at moderation in my life. It may be the reason underlying my desire to offer my views on the evangelical use of the Institute's material goods and on the social standing of communities. Aware of my own experience, I will try to offer reflections with reference to our documents, and to perceptions in Religious Life today.