Making a Difference

God's timing is always interesting... sometimes funny, sometimes not. Today Will broke his bike (the frame). Interesting after our weekend trip to the bike store and my trying to convince him to consider buying a new bike. Apparently God agrees with me :-p

Now for the deep stuff...

Perhaps it comes from my background, but I have always, always been really sensitive about poverty around the world and contributing to society (by either donating time, money or both). As compared to the life I would have led in Brazil, I am extremely extremely blessed. It's very easy to forget that. Now, I always have this soft spot because those are my roots. Many people rarely ever see outside the United States, and if they do get to travel it is often to first world countries. I remember how affected I was upon returning from my mission trip in Jamaica. The feelings are difficult. They can range from guilt to confusion (why was I fortunate enough to be born where I was) to even anger (why aren't we doing more).

Tonight I was watching Primetime Live on Brad Pitt with my mom. He spoke of his travels to Africa and all the problems there ( Aids epidemic, lack of food and education, lack of medicine). As the richest nation in the world, the United States is one of the stingiest donators. And, frankly, there is no excuse for that. The campaign he is supporting is trying to change the state of Africa within our lifetimes. I feel there is no excuse not to.

It seems so daunting. There are so many causes... from aids to cancer to poverty to rebel fighters in countries across the world to women who still don't have rights to saving the environment. How do you choose one? How do you know you'll make a difference? How can one person make a significant difference? Sure I donate my blood. Sure I raised some money for Ovarian Cancer. Sure I donated my time to orphans in Jamaica. Those deeds are barely the tip of the iceberg.

What makes me so sad is that so many people (and so many politicians) choose to ignore what is going on in the world. Who cares if you ruin a wildlife reserve? Who cares if we don't donate more, the US isn't responsible for the rest of the world, we have our own problems here.

I wish I could reach all those people somehow and give them perspective. The government here, though not without its (increasing) amount of problems, doesn't persecute you. You have food and a place to sleep. Many of us have educations. And our families. A good chance at survival. Safety, security, comfort. Here, people have the luxury of not taking their prescribed medicines. Other places, they struggle all their lives for a teaspoonful of cough syrup. We complain about gas prices and commute times. I wish everyone would just band together to make a difference. I know it is difficult to choose where to start but the point is to start.