Heartwarming Photo Of A Homeless Mother And Son Playing Goes Viral
"We cannot choose the circumstances that happen to us, but we can choose to be happy whatever the situation is."
On 9 April, a man was stressed out about work and stuck in traffic in Parañaque, Philippines when he saw something eye-opening
In a Facebook post, Ameniel Del Mundo wrote that he had come across a woman, who appeared to be homeless, entertaining her son while they laid on a mattress on a traffic island.
The post garnered over 21,000 shares at the time of writing.
"Amidst poverty and without any material things, the mother and her son remained happy and content and could be seen playing around," he wrote.
"The two were playing happily at the island while I was grumbling about my situation inside the car," the man told INQUIRER.net.
"We cannot choose the circumstances that happen to us, but we can choose to be happy whatever the situation is. That is why happiness is always a choice," the man wrote in another Facebook post.
Touched netizens commented that the images of the cheerful mother and son changed their perspective on what they need to be happy
However, several Facebook users pointed out that the family's unfortunate situation and dangerous living conditions should not be romanticised.
"Only those who are privileged and rich would label this as being happy and contented," one netizen commented.
When Del Mundo returned to the location days later to speak to the mother and son, the two were no longer there
"For those who wanted to help, we are still looking for them since yesterday, as we can't find the family," he wrote in an edit to the original Facebook post on 11 April.
"Will update as soon as we find them," he added.