But one of the things that always manages to shock me- no matter how many times I see it is the conditions in which many are forced to live- the slums, the starvation.... the total lack. Witnessing true hunger first hand and that thought- not only that this shouldn’t be happening- but that it doesn’t have to repeats endlessly in my mind. Many times when travelling Ive found myself ashamed by my life- my comfortable life. With my car and my condo- my stuff. Even the fat on my body. A life which I have done absolutely nothing to deserve. The one thing I seem to have gotten right is win the geographic lottery of being born a US citizen (and as evidenced by Detroit, Oakland and various other regions, even this isn’t always enough to guarantee food, shelter and medical care (one in eight Americans go hungry every day)). Food, shelter and medical care should not be based on an individual's net worth- these are basic human rights. Corporations and US policy create many of these situations worldwide- from privitization of water and food sources to hyper inflation of local currency.
The fact that a human beings worth can be calculated by what he owns- that in this world we live in what a man has equates his value. That if he has less- he’s worth less. Worthless. What a vulgar concept. Some would argue that a plush life is deserved- after all the hard work. After all, I havent relied on any one else, not really. I even paid for my own education. But how was this all possible? And if hard work equals a comfortable lifestyle- then where do all of these people working 16 + hour days of manual labor fit in? People doing hard labor the world over. Working skin to bone and yet somehow not even managing to feed their families. We need to recognize ourselves in these other people- that had we been born in another time or place- these people could be you or me.
I was ashamed that my life was so dictated by such rampant consumerism. That I actually thought 'I need a pair of designer jeans' as if the very flesh of my body would melt off without them. As if I had a family that would go hungry without the purchase of said jeans.
Every time I see these conditions I always feel like a voyeur- no matter what I do or how much time I spend- I can never really understand their situation. I could go on a hunger strike and yet the conditions to produce this would be in my control. It would never be comparable to what a huge portion of the world suffers daily. It would be naive and self indulgent to think otherwise.
So many people are afraid to let that 'vibrate into' their consciousness- I actually was told that- as if wealthy people the world over ignoring the impoverished had ever helped to lessen the load. You dont have to feel terrible about a situation to be moved to do something about it- like someone once told me "They dont want your tears, they want your help".
Even when you find yourself in one of these places where someone is yelling at you and following you down the street for 'US dollar!' or hawking some trinket- it's hard to be annoyed knowing that he may be relying on the few out of pocket pennies to feed himself.
What decides where we are born and why?
I remember how distant my gym membership, my car, my condo seemed-- my life in the states can began to seem surreal. The things I focused on a day to day basis seemed absurd. Making sure my starbucks was fat free- what clothes are looking like this season- the abundance of choices in my closet. The fact that I spent more on coffee in a day than many make in a week. I was repulsed. But then, like the typical foreigner, I got home- and my new vision slowly faded- I began to purchase things with necessity in mind- having completely forgotten what true need looks like. I began to fret about things which are a luxury to worry about. I forgot that chances are- I would never face real hunger or real poverty. I have dental and medical care at my disposal. I have more than I need, or want even. The more I see the more I really try to abide by the 'live simply so that others may simply live' philosophy.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/01/30/opinion/1247466767698/congos-forgotten-war.html,
Theres also the myth of shortage- granted I dont believe the current human population or lifestyle is in any way sustainable- but I also dont belive that in order for me to have there must be the have nots.
Also, Conflict Minerals
