Make Poverty History
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 11:39 am
Make Poverty History
I would say that poverty is a lack of an essential to live a life of satisfactory value.
What is essential for us to live? I believe that to live a satisfactory life we have a material need for food, water, housing, earning a living, etc. such that our physical bodies will survive, and a spiritual need to develop our minds, attitudes, values and behaviours. Both are of equal importance and achieving a suitable balance of both, I believe, allows us to live in harmony with ourselves and therefore with others.
In the last year we have heard of the movement to “make poverty historyâ€. The developed countries of the West seem to hold a dominant role in the global economic structure and therefore is able to control the meeting of their needs better then other parts of the world. And in the extreme it looks as if the countries of Africa have been brought to their knees in their absolute incapability to even barely survive. Let alone meeting any basic needs, it seems like in Africa vast areas have absolutely nothing to sustain themselves whether by way of food/water or medically or otherwise. But then not only in Africa is it the case; numerous other parts of the world are equally in either similar or reaching similar state.
The Live 8 concerts and “make poverty history†movements would have us believe that the solution rests in the hands of the 8 most powerful countries leaders. If the G8 leaders make the correct decisions we can look forward to the eradication of poverty forever. Can this be true? Is it really as easy as that? Are we saying that if the 8 most powerful men/women of the world say “aye†to helping the “poor†and “nay†to anything that increases unfairness to the “poorâ€; then we will all live in a world where our physical and spiritual needs are met suitably in the right balance to ensure that we all live in harmony and therefore happily ever after…
Let us look at us at the West for a minute. Our economies are actually dependant on huge corporations, growing ever larger by globalisation. The corporations are owned mainly by shareholders; normal people like you and me. So we went to Edinburgh last year to protest our demand for awareness of poverty and then came home and checked the price of our shares! So while I want my G8 leader to stop poverty, I expect the value of my shares rise higher, to make me richer regardless of whether I am using unfair trading rules to make my money or mistreating women/children in poor countries to ensure big profits which will do well for me!
Let us look at us in the West again. Our earning power and therefore wealth compared to those in the poorer nations is much higher. Yet our moral values are in a state of decline: we are selfish, intolerant, and have materialistic attitudes to an extent that makes us spiritually deficient such that all we care about is “how much money we can make or how many cars we have or how large is our house regardless of how much we actually need?!†And then we go to Live 8 concerts and protest marches while our next door neighbour dies of loneliness and there is a guy down the street who is homeless and hungry.
And the countries we give aid to. Most of the aid goes into corrupt pockets that become rich, live as we do in the West and equally without any care for their hungry brothers and sisters. The poor starve and protest but if ever they do get that helpful aid then suddenly they become one of the corrupt pockets! Status quo therefore does not change. But hey, we in the West and our corrupt colleagues elsewhere are ever so pleased: we marched and protested and rocked to show we are aware and really care! And we fool ourselves that it’s all somebody else’s problem to deal with!
As long as we live in a world where it’s all somebody else’s problem, then things will never change – even for ourselves! The Live 8 and “make poverty history†movements are undeniably well intentioned, with admirable aims and we should all be part of it. But poverty is not solely in the hands of G8 leaders. It begins in our hands. This means that side by side with marches, demonstrations and rock concerts; we must examine ourselves and our lives. Side by side we need to look around us and see how we treat the environment and people around us. We have to work at finding that balance of the physical and spiritual by “me†doing what’s right and striving for that “contented life†in the right way. Then and only then do I believe that I have any authority to demand that my leaders “make poverty historyâ€.
neville
I would say that poverty is a lack of an essential to live a life of satisfactory value.
What is essential for us to live? I believe that to live a satisfactory life we have a material need for food, water, housing, earning a living, etc. such that our physical bodies will survive, and a spiritual need to develop our minds, attitudes, values and behaviours. Both are of equal importance and achieving a suitable balance of both, I believe, allows us to live in harmony with ourselves and therefore with others.
In the last year we have heard of the movement to “make poverty historyâ€. The developed countries of the West seem to hold a dominant role in the global economic structure and therefore is able to control the meeting of their needs better then other parts of the world. And in the extreme it looks as if the countries of Africa have been brought to their knees in their absolute incapability to even barely survive. Let alone meeting any basic needs, it seems like in Africa vast areas have absolutely nothing to sustain themselves whether by way of food/water or medically or otherwise. But then not only in Africa is it the case; numerous other parts of the world are equally in either similar or reaching similar state.
The Live 8 concerts and “make poverty history†movements would have us believe that the solution rests in the hands of the 8 most powerful countries leaders. If the G8 leaders make the correct decisions we can look forward to the eradication of poverty forever. Can this be true? Is it really as easy as that? Are we saying that if the 8 most powerful men/women of the world say “aye†to helping the “poor†and “nay†to anything that increases unfairness to the “poorâ€; then we will all live in a world where our physical and spiritual needs are met suitably in the right balance to ensure that we all live in harmony and therefore happily ever after…
Let us look at us at the West for a minute. Our economies are actually dependant on huge corporations, growing ever larger by globalisation. The corporations are owned mainly by shareholders; normal people like you and me. So we went to Edinburgh last year to protest our demand for awareness of poverty and then came home and checked the price of our shares! So while I want my G8 leader to stop poverty, I expect the value of my shares rise higher, to make me richer regardless of whether I am using unfair trading rules to make my money or mistreating women/children in poor countries to ensure big profits which will do well for me!
Let us look at us in the West again. Our earning power and therefore wealth compared to those in the poorer nations is much higher. Yet our moral values are in a state of decline: we are selfish, intolerant, and have materialistic attitudes to an extent that makes us spiritually deficient such that all we care about is “how much money we can make or how many cars we have or how large is our house regardless of how much we actually need?!†And then we go to Live 8 concerts and protest marches while our next door neighbour dies of loneliness and there is a guy down the street who is homeless and hungry.
And the countries we give aid to. Most of the aid goes into corrupt pockets that become rich, live as we do in the West and equally without any care for their hungry brothers and sisters. The poor starve and protest but if ever they do get that helpful aid then suddenly they become one of the corrupt pockets! Status quo therefore does not change. But hey, we in the West and our corrupt colleagues elsewhere are ever so pleased: we marched and protested and rocked to show we are aware and really care! And we fool ourselves that it’s all somebody else’s problem to deal with!
As long as we live in a world where it’s all somebody else’s problem, then things will never change – even for ourselves! The Live 8 and “make poverty history†movements are undeniably well intentioned, with admirable aims and we should all be part of it. But poverty is not solely in the hands of G8 leaders. It begins in our hands. This means that side by side with marches, demonstrations and rock concerts; we must examine ourselves and our lives. Side by side we need to look around us and see how we treat the environment and people around us. We have to work at finding that balance of the physical and spiritual by “me†doing what’s right and striving for that “contented life†in the right way. Then and only then do I believe that I have any authority to demand that my leaders “make poverty historyâ€.
neville