Helping poor people in developing countries seems abstract and remote. A few comments you might hear:
- “Charity begins at home”
- “Let’s deal with the poor here in our own country first”
- “Not our fault”
- “Somebody else’s problem”
Are these comments fair?
The world is not what it was. Every day we consume products and information that came from another country. We can board a plane and within hours be standing in the middle of an impoverished community.
Modern technology and transportation has made us all neighbors.
Reality: The decisions we make and the lifestyle we live may directly and indirectly aggravate the lives of those in developing countries.
The Cycle of Resources from Poor to Rich
My rough diagram shows just one reason why. If we crossed out “poor country” and replaced it with “my house”, then replaced dictators and corporations with “thieves” — then You and Me are effectively guilty of receiving stolen goods.
The trail is often very hard to follow, but it could include anything; coffee, cacao, rubber, oil, palm products, and copper.
We end up with more stuff to consume… and then throw into a hole in the ground (landfill).
The primary producer ends up impoverished – and with a degraded environment to boot.
So maybe I should care.
A whole lot more.
November 11th, 2009 at 6:38 am
Yes, this is a dilemma I think we all have to face….. How do we care more? We need to.