{"id":647,"date":"2007-08-30T21:00:51","date_gmt":"2007-08-31T02:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cottrillcompass.com\/blog\/2007\/poverty-part-ii.html"},"modified":"2007-08-31T20:33:14","modified_gmt":"2007-09-01T01:33:14","slug":"poverty-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cottrillcompass.com\/blog\/2007\/poverty-part-ii.html","title":{"rendered":"Poverty (part II)"},"content":{"rendered":"

You don’t have to be in Mexico (or any other third world country) to be faced with poverty.<\/strong>  There seems to be a growing awareness among the wealthy that we are<\/i> wealthy, and others are not.<\/p>\n

But I am<\/i> in Mexico, and I’m faced with poverty in a way that I wasn’t in Canada.  I’d like to continue the discussion here (see Poverty part 1<\/a>), and I’d like to start by sharing this video (which I think is brilliant).  It’s American, but it really works for any of the, say, 15% wealthiest people in the world (check here to see how rich you are<\/a>).<\/p>\n

<\/param><\/param><\/embed><\/object><\/center>
So what do you do with that?<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

The reason I think this video is brilliant is not because I think it has all the answers, but the opposite.  It asks the question many of us are asking, and we<\/i> don’t know the answer either.<\/p>\n

The question of the imbalance of the world’s wealth is not an easy one.  In Chris’ analogy, that of a family, the solution seems somewhat easier.  In the world, we can’t see it as being so easy.  For example:<\/p>\n

  • How do you actually get the wealth to the people who really need it?<\/li>\n
  • What if people in need don’t want your help?<\/li>\n
  • What if people who need help will only "squander" the wealth?<\/li>\n
  • How much wealth should you give away?  Should you use your wealth to create more wealth so that you can help more<\/i> people?<\/li>\n

    And I hate to say it, but this issue related to the environment as well.<\/b>  I don’t care if you think the earth is getting cooler or hotter, or if what the solution is, you’ve got to be concerned that almost 2 million plastic bottles were used… while you were watching that video… in the USA alone.  Check out some of these pictures<\/a> to get an idea what that number means.<\/p>\n

    We may disagree on the solutions, and even what exactly the problem is, but surely you have to admit that there’s a problem here.  (So if everyone lived like me, how many earths would we need?<\/a>)<\/p>\n

    Mahatma Gandhi famously said, "Live simply that others may simply live."  There are those that cannot even survive, but could with a little help.  But what does that mean for the $8 hot dog?<\/p>\n

    It’s a great illustration, because it’s something we might buy rarely.  And yet that money could have had a real impact on another side of the world – an impact on children<\/i> – who know nothing about political corruption and world economics.<\/p>\n

    A problem with us people from wealthy countries is that we think we can give 0.1% of our income, and that "absolves us of guilt".  We can raise $1000 once a year in the fundraiser, we can buy fair trade coffee, and that makes us good people.  And then we buy the $8 hot dog.<\/p>\n

    Is that wrong?  I doubt you can say that.  After all, everyone needs a break.  Even the poor "splurge" now and then.  Maybe it was a family outing.  There are 100 reasons why it might not be a bad thing.<\/p>\n

    Still, I don’t think the answer lies in the fundraisers and the tithe in the offering plate (although those things may be great!).  The answer just might lie in those day-to-day purchases, the small things, the daily lifestyle decisions.<\/b><\/p>\n

    We just can’t say it’s too complicated for us, and stop there.  Or can we?<\/p>\n

    God has taken his place in the divine council;
    in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
    "How long will you judge unjustly
    and show partiality to the wicked?
    Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
    maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
    Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked."<\/i>
    Psalm 82:1-4<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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