A thought on global survival

peripatew

peripatew

Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
1,421
I've had this thought in the back of my mind for a while and I thought I'd seek the thoughts of others. Perhaps it's fair to say that we all have an attachment to survival in some regards. But what can we as BF and individuals do to help those survive, who cannot help themselves?

I'm not necessarily talking about survival training, rather helping people with basic needs such as clean water, food, medical treatment, and education.

For myself, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the many needs of our world, and the many dollars that are kept within my "safe" (which is a series of plastic tubs!). I've been thinking a lot about selling some of my knives and using that money to help others. Which lead me to dream of what we could do here at BF.

What if we each sold just one knife? Think of what we could do! I'm not asking that we empty out our safes, I'm still having a hard time deciding if I should sell some knives from my father, but I'm sure that we all have one that we could move.

What would it look like to start this on BF? How can we as a community work together to "Cut Down Poverty"?

L
 
We can't. Not like that.

Poverty in the world today is rarely a function of money or other resources. It is a political problem, a result of mismangement and corrupt government.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
We can't. Not like that.

Poverty in the world today is rarely a function of money or other resources. It is a political problem, a result of mismanagement and corrupt government.
Click to expand...

Well then I would advise all of us here on Blade Forums to register and vote. This election; and every election. No matter your education level or class level. Communist or Libertarian. Show that you care and believe in your opinions (however foolish and misguided they may be, I know mine are:p) to at least voice your opinion on election day.
 
To me and I may get fussed at about this, is that alot (not all) of the younger generation does not want to work like my generation did. They play video games and there cell phones. When I was younger I was hauling hay, splitting firewood ,cutting bean sticks, anything I could do to make a dollar. My first car was pulled out of a field and I fixed it up myself, a little bit at a time. What Im saying is that were is the values today. Part of the problem is us (the parents). We want our kids to have it better than us and so we have spoiled them to a point that even at 21 they still reley on mom and dad. I know the world is in a mess and yes some need help but for the majority in my opinion is you cant help someone who wont help themselves. My daughters boy friend is 17yrs old and that boy dont even know how to put air in a tire on his car. Its pitiful. So yes people need help but what people needs most is to get off there butt and find a way to make it the world. Our grandparents did it with nothing. Were is the grit this country use to have. Im sorry if I offend anyone for this but thats how I feel on the subject.
 
As bad as it may look to us, this country is not the worst of the problem. :)

Still, I heartily endorse the ideas of the last two posters. Getting out the vote has two excellent results. The first is, the more involved people get in politics, even to the small extent of voting, the more interest they will take in it on down the line.

Vote today, study the results, kick and scream at your representatives for not having done better, and vote more effectively next election.

The second result is even easier: the more people who vote, the less control the politicians have over the outcome. Think about this. If only a relatively few vote, the more important the hardcore party faithful are. But their votes can be overwhelmed by the middle-of-the-road majority.

So, when politicans see the voters coming out in a particular district, they will do their best to provide services to that district, or state. Businessmen work for money, politicans work for votes. The more votes up for grabs, the harder the pols will work to deliver what the constituency wants.
 
IMHO we already provide money that could be used to help the poor pick them selfs up, what is needed is to use the vote to incorage the goverment to use that money wisely.
As for the money in the safe the poloticians would like that to use that for proping up programs that are flawed in design and application.
 
it is an interesting thought, but impossible to impact until the governments begin to think of the people rather than filling their own pockets. if you want to impact the situation then give money to one of the faith based programs, they do a better job for less money than any government program, and the donations actually reach the people that need it.

alex
 
Our Country provides more assistance, help and supports democracy more than any other Nation...period; we are ONLY reason there is not more poverty, humanitarian crisis or genocide. Your vote and involvement in our political system will have more impact than any amount of money we could raise collectively. Esav is unfortunately right on the money with his point of view. It is governments that fleece their own populations. Before we look beyond our borders despite the ease to view the travesties of the world through television, the internet, newspapers or magazines, your best effects will always be more profound at the local level; helping out a neighbor, giving to a faith-based organization, donating blood, donating time, habitat for humanity, volunteer services, etc. There will always be have's and have not's and there will always be conflicts until our extinction or the Second Coming; I truly believe democracy and capitalism allows more of the have not's an opportunity to rise above that environment. Sure, corruption and greed are by-products, but it sure as hell beats the alternative of socialism which inevitably leads to corrupt governments, fascism and ultimately genocide…this is what we are seeing in the news today in many unfortunate areas of the world. It’s Freedom, not food or money that people need.

Help those locally that really want to help themselves.

ROCK6
 
ROCK6 said:
Help those locally that really want to help themselves.

ROCK6
Click to expand...

Humans -- Homo sapiens -- all over the world are of innately equal capability. Whether their culture or their government interferes with their individual efforts, a human given the opportunity to provide for himself and his family and community will succeed.

We see it with a simple factory job, however poor the wages, and with the microloans that enable cottage industry to liberate them from handouts.

There are a few technical assists we can provide: equipment to dig wells and radios to connect them to the larger world.

But the barriers to success are almost always the governments and the warlords, not much difference between them, in too many parts of the world. When governments derive their authority from the consent of the governed, the countries turn into Malaysia or Dubai, with prosperity growing and spreading. When countries are ruled by oligarchies, they remain like Myanmar and Saudi Arabia: wealthy rulers with increasingly desperate populations.

How do we help displace the oligarchs?
 
Very good points by Esav, et al.... Say what you want about President Bush, but his overall plan of spreading democracy to the middle east is pure genius. Democracy is contagious. When people in that part of the world see and hear of the great individual freedoms, successes and freedoms of their neighboring country, they too will seek the freedom that yearns in every human heart. That is how we get rid of the oligarchs.
 
Sell a knife and become a microlender with the money at http://www.kiva.org/ - you'll be able loan the money to who you want and you'll get the money back. Then you can loan it out again if you want. It's super easy if you already have a paypal account.

The cold hard fact is that we who live in the highest income countries have 86 percent of world Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 82 percent of world export markets, 68 percent of foreign direct investment and 74 percent of world telephone lines. Those living in the poorest countries share only one percent of any of these.

I've visited poor people in poor countries whose only manufactured possessions were a plastic water container, plastic gas container, machete, and the clothes they were wearing. No furniture, no pots and pans, no utensils, nothing. Access to just a few hundred dollars of capital can make a big difference to the poorest of people.

There are no solutions in this world. There's just you and what you decide to do. And that's enough.

EDIT:

hey, naked, looks like kiva has a new feature - you can create a "team" of lenders. check it out: http://www.kiva.org/community/explore

it would be pretty easy to create a team then ask one of the moderators if you could make a sticky that allowed people to post the knife they were selling to make a micro-loan
 
Last edited:
I don't think voting counts all that much. I may vote for a candidate who is elected but that candidate is not going to listen to me. He will listen to the power broker who walks into his office with a briefcase full of $100 bills.
 
Just from my own experience, and I spent several years homeless after having everything I owned stolen. I am also deeply involved in outrech and advocacy work for the homeless and imoverished. So here is my two cents.

I have watched as around 8 million dollars has been divied up localy to help the homeless...less than 5% of that money actualy made it out of the organizations and into actual recieved aid to those who needed it.

Most of the people who need the help are in the situation due to a combination of conditions. aA few of these include substance abuse problems, legal problems, state harrasment due to unpaid child support (funny how the state agency will cause someone to lose their job causing them to go homeless and still continue to keep them that way).

Myself during the several years I was homeless I was able to occassionaly pick up work but in many cases the people who hired me wound up being fraudulent. Luckily I wasn't strugling with addictions for then I probably wouldn't have gotten out of that situation.

While the desire to help others is laudable, it is more neccessary that we help others to help themselves. Many of the folks on the streets have no intyerest in doing anything for themselves and expect that others will take care of their responsibilities for them.
You do no favors when you don't require some kind of reciprocal help for the aid provided.
 
Hum. Thanks for the link to Kiva, I haven't come across that before!

I'm all for voting... though I'm not really in favor of the two party system.

However, if we wait around for the government to step in and help, when and if they do, how many will have suffered and died? There are lots of corrupt organizations, and there always will be. But is inactivity and laziness on our behalf any better? My family has been sponsering a child in Honduras for a few years, World Vision makes their financial reports available.

If you look at the near 20 year old conflict in Sudan and Uganda, in that it took nearly 17 years for the governments around the world to step in, thousands of children were killed, thousands of children were abducted, abused, and brainwashed into being child soldiers. Meanwhile, we wait for the government to help?

You're right, IF the government was to help, then they would have much more influence and power than a group of individuals ever could, but I just don't see the government stepping in to help much, and if they do, it's crazy late. Look how long it took them to help with Katrina, which is a local issue.

There are endless organizations that make their financials available. If you look at the work of Invisible Children, you will learn that it takes much work on all sides, meaning individual action, and governmental action.

How many great aid organizations were started by the government versus and individual? I'm thankful for what the government does, but I won't stand around and wait for them to act, when children overseas are dying because of limitless reasons.

I want to take individual responsibility for those who are unable to do so. I think it is lazy to wait for the government.

I have the desire to have clean water for myself while in the wilderness, so I take actions to be prepared for those situations. We are fortunate enough to have clean water daily. It is out of my thankfulness for this, that I want others to have clean water as well. In many situations, clean water only requires drilling. I'm partnering with The H2O Project to help with this. I'd encourage everyone to check it out.
 
Fraser said:
Naked - feel free to spend YOUR money to Save the World.
Click to expand...

Yes do as your conscience tells you to do. You will feel better. If you decide to take some suggestions though, then I would say look into a mentorship program like Big Brothers. Somebody with your skills and fondness for the outdoors, Naked, could make a great mentor and really brighten a kids life. It might just brighten yours too!
 
I'm all for voting... though I'm not really in favor of the two party system.

Research Multi-party systems and you willfind that they all end up FUNCTIONING as a two party system one the coalition is formed. There are two sides in a palliament chamber for a reason.
 
Horse said:
I'm all for voting... though I'm not really in favor of the two party system.

Research Multi-party systems and you willfind that they all end up FUNCTIONING as a two party system one the coalition is formed. There are two sides in a palliament chamber for a reason.
Click to expand...

I do plan to research this issue out more, though I'd be interested to see how it would work now in our culture.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top