Just What's A Canker Sore
8 years ago
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
I get so mad at our pathetically self absorbed western culture! I know I am a part of the problem, so I am highly hypocritical, but sometimes when I just take a step back, I get so mad! As you all probably know, I live in Melbourne. Don't get me wrong, I adore Melbourne, I love living here! As I'm sure you are aware, we are about to host the XVIIIth Commonwealth Games, which our wonderful city is all excited about. We've seen Melbourne 2006 ad campaigns for a long, long time now. What a waste!!! I mean, come on!
There are people starving in countries all over the world, just look at Africa, just look at one country in Africa, look at Ghana. There are children starving to death who are orphans beacuse their parents are dead from AIDS and we are spending millions and millions of dollars on fireworks and exciting light shows! Where are our priorities?! Do we care so little for our fellow human beings that we we would prefer to look at pretty fleeting lights than save lives? What is wrong with us?! 
I was thinking mainly of the opening and closing ceremonies. They are so expensive and flashy, and what do they bring us? Do you think anyone will remember this opening ceremony in 5 years? NO! I'm not saying that we should do away with the commonwealth games, but come on! Why are we spening billions of dollars on our momentary entertainment when people are dying! DYING!!! We don't care beacuse we are not personally affected. I wish I cared more. I wish I did more. I wish we were all less self-absorbed and did something about this atrocity. People needlessly die! It does not have to be this way! This problem extends far beyond just this particular example. It's a lifestyle for us in the western world. Why can't we just forget about ourselves for a while and help those who actually need it?
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There will always be people starving. There will always be people living in poverty. There will always be people who die tragically by some unnecessary means.
The most difficult thing to reconcile is that we can't help everyone. What we CAN do is to help one person at a time. Whether that is done by volunteering to teach someone to read or by sending $10 a month to a children's charity, it does make a difference.
Where there's wealth, there will always be excess. People will continue to create excessive, lavish shows... because other people will continue to support it. So, in the meantime, "we little people" should just do our part. Our small works do provide the good in the world.
what about all the social services people who have missed out on funding because the games has taken more money than first thought.
what are we going to do about it? when was the last time we wrote letters to our government officials asking them to explain???
That kind of thing makes me most furious of all, because it says a lot about how the poor nations became poor in the first place. Then non-poor nations are called on to give generously when some loathsome 'whitewashed tomb' of a dictator is directing food money into arms and his own bank account.
We do sponsor a child in India, so I'm not saying that we shouldn't give generously - we should. People anywhere are still people, and someone in need is my charge.
The only fireworks I've ever really enjoyed a lot was a few years ago at Moomba (Melbourne Festival of Something-or-other). The 'booms' were so loud that they made car alarms go off and lids jump off bins. Now that was a whole lotta fun! Whole streets in pandemonium. Hehehe....
If enough people join together, and complain about stuff they know nothing about, and all commit to doing nothing about it, then the world will be totally the same. Nice plan. What's the name of your sponsor child by the way?
But I do agree with you, the commonwealth games, which brings world attention to our country and units many nations and fosters good will should be downgraded a few notches, especially the fire works.
I mean, the commitee who approved that amount of money, when sending it to Africa was the other option, should be starved.
And as for those people starving in parksville and Collingwood, at least they get to see the fireworks
And as for what Danny said, I'm sure there is a great quote that we can make, like
"Corrupt people need to be in charge, the rightious people make the needy their charge"
or something like that. It seems to work
The real question is, where do you draw the line on how much money to put into entertainment and development, and how much to help other countires?
we cannot solve all the worlds problems at once i gave up my God like powers many years ago anyway. however we can change one people group at a time.
lets look at how much it would cost then get our divesre groups on to funding it!!!
Would you....
- give up TV?
- set limits on how much you spend on music?
- budget 30% of your time' to volunteer aid work?
- stop spending as much money on pet food - it livesbetter than the kids in the picture and it's just an animal?
- change your life focus from entertainment?
- Fast for a weekend?
- Give up junk food ?
- Starting saving your money, budgeting for this?
- Live life with uregency and meaning,mourning the lost seconds and wasted hours that you could use to this cause?
How far would you guys go, hmmmm?
Maybe it's about varying needs.