Think of Poverty on Blog Action Day 2008
As I contemplated on what I was going to write and how I was going to participate in a Blog Action Day 2008 in which thousands of bloggers all over the world are thinking and writing about the same issue that transcends color, creed, race and or country, I was taken over by a lot of emotions. I thought about the lady we often see walking in the downtown area asking people for quarters. Over the years it has become a joke amongst most people who work in that area, whenever someone sees her or comes across, they’d laugh and say there goes the quarter lady! People laugh at her because she has a one liner ‘got a quarter?’ for everyone. You can find her eating a subway sandwich every day at the train station. I’ve never laughed at her but I’d admit (and I am ashamed of this) that I have ignored her many times and turned my face away thinking I can’t give her a quarter every day?
How selfish I was. With blog action day theme, as I was reading more and more on poverty, I couldn’t believe I had done that to her. It is so easy to act like I did and ignore this problem but just imagine if we had to beg someone for every meal, day after day! I know my heart is at the right place but on this day, I pledge to make conscious efforts to make a difference in whatever small ways I can.
We humans are so strange in that when in United States someone talks about poverty, they mostly refer to it or think about it as a condition that exists only in some remote 3rd world, under-developed section of the society. So not true. America has it’s share of poverty as detailed in this website. Imagine this for a second, according to the GlobalIssues, almost half the world population – that is over three billion people – live on less than $2.50 a day!
If these numbers on the chart above don’t really do anything for you, I am sure the following video certainly will move you.
As for me, I went over the list of 88 ways to take action against poverty now that Easton Ellsworth made on Blog Action Day blog yesterday, from people’s contributions. I am going to try to do as many of those things as possible – some I already do, like eating vegetarian meals twice – I’ve been a vegetarian for a couple of years (well I do eat fish, but just that, no mammals and/or even chicken), signed up with kiva to make loans, clicked on the hunger site to give free food to the poor. I can’t say I am ready to go homeless for a day and night yet but that would be quite a lesson.
But I want to get started today, NOW, with this post. So, I pledge to donate $1.00 to Kiva.org for each comment on this post.
There are tons of websites to get inspiration from and get involved. I have met a lot of great people via blogs, who are spending a whole lot of time to make a difference. Head over to Train for Humanity and see how you can get involved while getting healthy yourself.
Technorati Tags: Blog Action Day, Poverty, Hunger
Kiva is a great organization. I will donate my share as well.
If you want to make a change I would also recommend looking at my last blog post.
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This is the problem facing people today – overcoming ignorance (and that’s not meant in a bad way either). As you say, so many people relate poverty to India, Africa and similar countries. Yet there are so many millions below the poverty line in highly developed countries as well.
Until we reach a situation where 7% of the world’s countries control 93% of the wealth, we’ll continue to need days like today. It has to stop; it has to change.
I’ll be posting my own contribution tomorrow – thanks for sharing with us.
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Sorry, I meant to say “when we reach a situation where 7% of the world’s countries do NOT control 93% of the wealth”.
Danny Browns last blog post..Jason Calacanis and the Contradiction of What Defines Great
I read it and was going to fix it soon :) I agree, there’s got to be a better distribution of all that wealth, too few are controlling too many! look forward to your posting
Here’s one more comment to make you donate an additional dollar. ^__^
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[...] to contribute. It may be a donation to a worthy cause like Make Poverty History. It may be that you offer pledges yourself for the comments on your blog. It may be something as simple as getting two cookies at the coffee shop and giving one to the next [...]
Pearl,
You are a very compassionate person. I agree we need to take action to work on the poverty issue, and that action starts with me.
One thing you might want to be careful about is not to merge in the low vibration of poverty with your compassion. Help them, show them how to make money and create better life, but don’t join them in their scarcity thoughts. That doesn’t do good for you or for them.
I like Kiva and just wrote a post myself mentioning it. I like them because Kiva treats the have-not’s with respect, as people with potential and capabilities to make good lives.
Blessings,
Akemi Gaines
Pearl,
Kiva looks like a great organization. I applaud you for getting involved.
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Indeed Kiva is doing a great job! I was pretty impressed with their work model and I was even surprised to see that how that young guy is leading the company. I first came to know about them through blackberry ads :)
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i do love kiva. :) i’m unable to donate so i posted their banner on my blog (as well as that of freerice, the hunger site, and goodsearch).
it’s great that you also participated in blog action day. :)
kouji haikus last blog post..blog action day 2008: philippine poverty haiku poems
Akemi has a great point here. Compassion can often lead to something negative, like dragging yourself in thinking patterns that are not productive.
Helping people one life at the time is the best way to make a difference. It’s good to see there are more and more organizations who are striving towards this.
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Great post! Thanks for bringing awareness to this. I recently got a postcard on this too. I agree with Akemi too, I myself tend to get dragged into the negative vibrations, so I’ve had to set my vibrations higher as well. But yes, we all can help!
I’ll be visiting Kiva.org to see what I can do to contribute. Thank you for giving a specific site. Yes, poverty is not exclusive to the 3rd world countries anymore. It is everywhere.
I assume that the poverty line would increase when a new survey would come out because of the financial crisis. With the crisis, the poor families from developed countries will add to those list and graphs.
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This is the second blog that I have read that is contributing $1 per comment to Kiva. I myself have never contributed to Kiva, but I may in days to come. It seems like the Blogactionday this year was very successful…I am sure it helped to reduce the poverty for quite a few for whom it will most certainly matter.
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Hey guys.. thanks so much for stopping by to comment, I wish though that I had started this campaign of donating a dollar for each comment earlier to garner more comments.. but in any case, I am impressed with Kiva’s concept and will contribute to them regularly and urge anyone who doesn’t know what they do to stop by their website and get to know how your money gets used in helping so many to the road to financial independence, to say the least!
Thank you Akemi, Steven, Mayank, Maggie, Nina, Adam, Psychic, Roselyn, Karen and Kouji
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hi, Do something for help the hungry people from Africa or India,
I created this blog about them:
on http://tinyurl.com/556poc
That is really nice you are doing what you do. You have a very kind heart and I applaud you on that.
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You are right!.. there is real poverty in America but the problem is that, most people do not see. Thanks for sharing