Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
To clarify, there is nothing wrong with people who live in poverty no matter what stigma you wish to attach to them. Poverty itself is not the issue. Impoverished people all over the world live happy lives. There is no guarantee that being affluent and having lots of possessions and toys will make one happy.
As a matter of fact I have known more than a few people who have much, much more than they need and are unhappy and unfulfilled.
Struggle leads to shared experiences, appreciation for what little you do have and sometimes a feeling of self accomplishment.
You can give all your money to whomever you want but I do not think in the end it will change much if anything. If people get things without working for them they have no reason to improve themselves or their situation and they will just have more kids until it is impossible to provide for them all.
You can call me names and try to demean me. You can say that other people should do things that you do not do yourself. You can give 50¢ here and there.
But this will not change anything. It is mental masturbation and gives people a reason to not do much or anything themselves. It is a cop out. It is an excuse.
You will not address this, because you cannot, not because you do not like my analogy.
Not everyone CAN do something about their situation. How you don't get that basic idea is beyond me. Some people have illnesses that prevent them from doing anything and they can't afford the medications or the care they need. You would probably call them lazy deadbeats.
You are making the assumption that money or people doing stuff for other people would actually solve the problems.
I have an experiment for you.
Go to the woods and drop corn to feed the deer. Now keep doing it. Eventually you will notice there are more deer. At some point you will not be able to feed all of the deer.
Then at least some deer will suffer.
The same with people. If you gave everyone in Africa $100,000 dollars eventually 10 percent or less would end up with over 80 prevent of the money IMHO.
Your reply is not one that would generate good thoughts about people. You seem to think that helping others will weaken them and take away their ability to care for themselves. I regard life as a mutual endeavor, with people helping each other, giving and taking as they can and need and all becoming stronger as a result. It worked when we were just a few, as an emerging species and it works for me, even now. And there are many other places in the world where it is still the protocol for survival.
You look at it as the people who have more money have more to give and dismiss it as meaning nothing.
I look at it as the people who have less should be working harder so to help other people or to have more money to give. Why are they not working harder?
Do people with inherited fortunes work hard? Do people who have the capital to start their own businesses or invest in others' endeavors work hard? is wealth at all correlated to working hard? Most minimum wage jobs are draining if not grueling. They are often hard work. Most higher-paid jobs are pursuits that have been 'chosen'--sometimes purely for financial reasons, of course, but chosen nonetheless.
And of course, any occupation related to the preparation of food (at any stage from farm to table) is just about as important a job for 'society' as there is (with some health care fields being right there). And yet, occasional superstar chef excepted, the vast majority of people in agriculture/restaurant/warehouse work make a pittance.
By 'working harder', what you really mean is either 'working smarter' or getting luckier.
By what contortion of logic is that remotely true? Those people of whom she speaks are self-centered. thaifood seems like quite a considerate person. People who only speak of themselves or those next of kin (through whom they engage in some vicarious living) are the very definition of self-centered
Not everyone is like this. A prime example would be last Saturday , when I took a canoe out to a lake. According to the forecast , the max wind velocity was 7 MPH. When I put in , there was only a slight breeze , not even ruffling leaves. 10 minutes later , it began to gust , and despite my efforts , I was pushed to the far side of the lake. This place borders on absolute wilderness , and is 99% undeveloped , save for houseboats. The houseboats are vacant starting Labor Day , and I eventually ended up in a pocket below a saddle. Every time I tried to row out of there , the wind turned the boat around and sent me packing back to shore. Cell service was to the point I would move an inch and lose signals. Whenever I tried to call , they were dropped , and I was over 200 miles from home. I managed to send a text to my cousin explaining what happened , and exited the canoe to drag it toward deeper water. Walking back to the marina was not an option , as the shoreline was nearly vertical in most places. I was out of options at this point , the lake was devoid of human activity , save for myself , and possibly others who were out of sight. 4 hours later , I saw a pontoon , and flagged them down. They were nice enough to drag me back to the marina , and the dog they had with them was happy to see me as well. I enacted a moratorium on fishing anymore that day. Enroute to the hotel , I ran across a group of tourists who were trying to make a 3 point turn at the base of a curve/hill. There was a line of cars behind , so we passed them by. Upon returning an hour later , they were still there , but were in a ditch. I stopped , and asked if they needed help , and assisted them pushing the car from the ditch , they stated the car would shut down when placed into reverse , which was verified when they placed it into reverse. I received nothing in return , but was inclined to assist. I know I too was damn near stranded in a worse way , and would feel bad for anyone stranded in that wilderness. I usually try to pay things forward when I can , despite being referred to as a general curmudgeon/*******/loner/whatever. Maybe something good will come of it , maybe not , but spit happens to the best of us at one time or another.
The rich 1% don't believe this though. They believe in dominance, greed and inequity. It's the best feeling in the world to simply give. I had 8 complete strangers show up to help me salvage after a tornado I was in last year. That spirit is now burned in me forever. Really a great show of humanity at its finest.
There will always be poor people, you could go broke trying to help all the people who need it and those who are unwilling to help themselves.
Most of life is a series of personal choices and I cannot be responsible for someone's poor choice.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
