Rich, Poor… The Great Divide
When will humans start to treat the rest of human race as equal? What is it in us that makes us want to first think about us before we think about others? Why is there such a sharp divide between the rich and the poor? Does every child that comes into this world not deserve the same life, education, care that our kids get? Why are corporations so hungry? Why is it always about how well they do, going to any extent to make sure they succeed? What about a child who doesn’t have a roof over his head, has an eye infection that has blinded him because he doesn’t have the care every child deserves? We go and spend 100’s of dollars on things that only satisfy our senses, when we can give just that to a child in one of the many impoverished nations in Africa, and make his/her life so much better? Why are we so selfish? When will poverty be a thing of the past, so it is known as one of the “ages”?
I admit I am guilty of dropping money on “cool” stuff or gadgets… and I feel absolutely terrible when I read the news and see how so many people are suffering - take the Darfur region of the Sudan for instance. What did the children there do to deserve such a life? We all say that those people need help, but what are we doing about it!? Why is it that we don’t give as much as we can? Why are we not trusting enough to hand over money to someone who can help out? Is it because of our own experiences with the organizations we work in that has made us this way? Or are we too “busy” with our own lives to help others out? Countries are being turned into corporations that want to acquire other corporations (US over Iraq), and take advantage of their resources, for their own good, at the expense of people’s lives. What has US done about the Darfur region, where genocide has already been declared by the US itself? Iraq was doing much better before the US went in, even with Saddam there. All those resources that have gone into Iraq, and are still going into Iraq could have been put into improving economic situations of many other impoverished countries. Not only would that have made the US look good, it would have saved a lot of lives that have now been lost in Iraq. Why can’t we be righteous? Why do we let greed take over us? Why does the US provide aide to Israel, a lot of it shouldered by the US taxpayer? Israel is one of the richest nations on the planet, and it still gets all that money, and why? To strengthen its military so it can oppress the Palestinian people? The US is the most powerful nation in the world… and its neighbors south of it, are back in the stone age comparatively. What ever happened to “Love thy Neighbor?” The world is going to be in a state of constant turmoil till the human race starts believing in and working towards equality. It is not about every man (or nation) for himself; we have to think about us… about every child that enters this world.
Here’s an example. I come from a third-world country, Pakistan, where 1 USD equals 60 rupees. In a rural village, 60 rupees can feed one family (= parents + 2 children) a good meal - thats probably how much they earn a day if that. Is that too much to give? This divide between the rich and poor can not be ignored! In any major city in Pakistan, you will see affluence like never before - alcohol, drugs, parties like nobody’s business… and you will see poverty where peoples homes are made out of sand, that are easily washed away by rain. That is not the only difference. A lot of the rich you will see are materialistic, selfish and only care about what kind of designer label is on their jeans - all about me me me… and the poor, though they have nothing but heart, are selfless, will show you more warmth than you could ever imagine. Money is the grease that spins the world… unfortunately, its spinning in the wrong direction. We need to spin it the right way… helping just one child out will satisfy your senses till the day you pass on… an IBM Z61p with a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, DVD Writer, and everything you could ever imagine… just a few months. And how much would you have to spend on that one child you help out? 15 dollars a month? $15 x 12 months = $180 (x 10 years) = $1800 - thats less than that IBM Z61p notebook cost me, which is not even going to last 2-3 years. Helping out that child could save his life, and many generations that follow. It is something you will not regret.
Start small, see if you can help… if not monetary, then just making the effort to make people realize, so people who can help, do help. Look at Bill Gates, he is probably not the most righteous person around, but he is making good use of all the extra money he has, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We might not have that sort of money, but we can certainly put away some to help out. In my culture / religion, we call it “Sadqa” or a show of kindness and cooperation. You basically take Sadqa “off” yourself and your family… it is like cleaning your soul, and giving what comes out of it to someone. My wife and I take sadqa off our daughter every day - a few cents even and then give away to a poor family in Pakistan. It doesn’t take much, but that person will be grateful to you forever… a machine will not do that for you. When I was 15, a handicapped, partially crippled man came to our house, while I was playing cricket. I just sat and talked to him for an hour or so, and then gave him some food and money. That person was eternally grateful to me, and returns every year to my house from his village to ask about me, and wish me well, when he really doesn’t need to. Of course I’m not there, so my parents convey his wishes to me. It is a great feeling. So people… whoever is reading this… give, so people who are not as privileged as you are, can live a somewhat decent life. Make Poverty History.
And your point is?
An article by Robert Fisk: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article2112555.ece.
Oh yeah, Happy New Year! 