I’m 47; most people my age had the same epiphany as the OP about thirty-something years ago, but it’s always nice to be reminded.
2.5, the next half century will see horrors on a larger scale than our species has ever suffered before. See you in Hell.
Not what you wanted?
It might cheer us up, on a couple of levels, if we went down town and helped out those single mothers at the pole dancing club…
Not if you live where Valteron lives in Canada.
There’s all kinds of religious nuts up there just LOOKING to burn and rape and kill.
You know what? You could TOTALLY go move in with Valteron! Or next door! Then you could be the wacky neighbor always cutting in on the rants and the poor spouse’s attempts to calm him down with all your wacky hi-jinks!
Hilarity would no doubt ensue!
[sub]i would so totally watch the SHIT out of that show[/sub]
This is a good question. I have a car. If I give it up RIGHT NOW, how many people could I save? Zero, I think. I mean, I’m sure the environmental cost of disposing of it now would be slightly less than driving it for a few more years and then disposing of it, but I’m not sure how it would help the poor and oppressed. I don’t drive it much anyway; I commute to work by train and bicycle.
I also eat regularly. The OP suggests that it’s a zero-sum game: my eating prevents others from eating. At some level, this is perhaps true, but if I do not buy the food at Vons, Vons does not ship it to the poor. It sells it to other non-hungry Americans, or it throws it out. It does use some of its profits for charity, though, so eating seems better for the poor than not eating.
I do enjoy baths, and I can see how giving up (or even reducing) baths would directly impact the others who share my water supply, from other Southern Californians to the poor farmers downstream in Mexico. However, I live in an apartment: no yard to water, few rooms to clean. So I am consuming dramatically less water overall than other people my age in my city. When you’re living on my level of consumption or less, then you can tell me what to do.
Frankly, I don’t enjoy nearly the luxuries of most people in my demographic, either from relative poverty or my half-assed but sincere environmentalism. The poverty prevents me from giving cash to those who could make it do good for the suffering; I try to use my limited dollars and my tiny voice in our semi-democracy to do good rather than evil or nothing. I recycle. So what else do you want me to do? Please be specific. Gnashing teeth over other people’s evil, active and passive, is not helpful. Constructive change in quiet ways is good; devoting one’s money and energies to improving conditions for others is better.
A meaningless sacrifice is worse than nothing. It makes you feel good, like you’ve done something, which possibly prevents you from actually making a difference, while decreasing the quality of your life and thus (albeit infinitessimally) humanity’s overall wellbeing.
I was sort of thinking about this today. That horrible headline about the man beating a toddler to death behind his pickup truck has of course been rattling around my brain.
My kids’ lives weren’t like that today. They spent the afternoon frolicking in the backyard with their friends and neighbors. The 6-yr-old’s mother is battling cancer, I haven’t really talked to her about it (we’ve only met a couple of times) but I totally understood when the child couldn’t bear to be left to play with the others and had to be walked home, to join her Mommy. Of course. We’ll try again, another day.
The kids took turns, shared toys, and made a lot of poopy jokes. Comfort was offered as needed to treat a scraped knee or a hurt feeling.
No luxuries were involved - a $7 slip-n-slide hardly counts. And yet I felt so wealthy and grateful, to give and see kindness shared among my kids and their friends.
Hundreds of millions of people had roughly that same day today.
Ya know, I was just thinking this same thing yesterday, 2.5. I’m never sure if I should take you seriously or not (and I refuse to be swayed by the opinions of others) but you do have a valid point, and I’m brainstorming ways now to help a very specific set of suffering people.
He’d probably feel better if he’d just go camping with a black woman.
-Joe
I could use a sandwich, you know, if you’re short on ideas.
This made me laugh till it hurt!! Which is bad, really, because I was being totally serious. But, since you mentioned it…Turkey or ham?
Not to be quite so aggressive as others, selling your TV would be too small a step; the resale value is miniscule.
How many luxuries do I have? Compare to whom?
I eat regularly. I have access to health care. I have a job. I love my job.
OTOH, shagnasty would never be willing to live in my neighborhood (we live quite nicely under $100k around Boston).
How many could I save? None. I do not wield guns to hi-jack food on the way to refugee camps, and I certainly could not take up arms against them.
Beggars can’t be choosers.
I wouldn’t pay much attention to his rambling. This is the same dipshit who castigated me for watering my lawn when people in the Third World are suffering from water-borne diseases. He actually suggested that it would be better if I saved the water I’d use to water my lawn and ship it to those people. And I think he was serious.
Somebody needs a hug.
You’re thinking globally, 2.5, now act locally. Every little bit you do to improve the world … improves the world. Just because you can’t fix it all right now and all at once doesn’t mean you can’t do what’s possible to improve things.
We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task.
The rest is the madness of art. (Henry James)
One of my major mottos, honestly. When the world is blackest, I know we are all working in the dark. And so, I do what I can, I give what I have. And I rage, where I can, and try to build a thousand small fires, so we can see each other, in this darkness.
I know what I have done. What have you done? Do you think you can do more? Then do so.
I may only be good for the small blessings, but each one I give brings hope. And hope, of course, is utter madness, in this world we live in.
But we’re all mad, here. Have some tea.
I like that! Thanks for posting it.
So, Clurican, I’ve got here a ham and cheddar on wheat with mustard and mayo. You want pickles?
Nope, we’re good. I love you.
nom nom nom…
Hey, that’s not a sandwich you blunderhead, that’s my foot!
Awww, I love you too sweetie!! Mwah
Sorry 'bout your foot, Autolycus. Would a tasty sammich make up for it?
IIRC, he also told those of us who contributed to local charities that we were immoral for not giving it to those in the third world. :rolleyes:
(Oh, and if you’re making sammishes, I’d like roast beef with provolone cheese and honey mustard, on a bun, por favor.)