Saturday, December 18, 2010

Change

I saw her sing this song on her Christmas special, and absolutely loved it.  It took me a little searching to figure out what song it was, but well worth the effort.

This song literally gives me chills.  Enjoy!



This is one of my biggest issues with the world today.  There is absolutely no reason for there to be anyone starving or living in abject poverty.  Why is it that the "American Dream" involves owning 10 houses in different countries, 20 cars, a private jet, a yacht, an island... and nothing to do with seeing the whole world at least being able to eat and have a roof over their heads?  Does not America claim to be a "Christian" nation?  A lot of difference that seems to make...  The American Dream is the most selfish, pig-headed idea ever to be conceived.  It is the work of corrupt politicians who realize that the only way for them to keep their precious riches is for everyone else to think that they could get there too one day.  It's held just out of reach for the masses, which is just what the rich want.

Think about this:  something like 99% of the worlds wealth is owned by 1% of the world's population.  Now how on earth does that even remotely seem rational? How on earth do we think this is acceptable?

I realize that many people of means do try to make a difference, and I applaud that.  However, it's just not enough.  If a dime a day can feed, clothe and put a child to school, what could millions of dollars do?

Recently I saw Celine Dion's home in a magazine and literally felt sick to my stomach.  That's not a house, it's as big as a Ritz Carlton hotel!  And there's only 5 of them!  I understand wanting a nice house, car, clothes, and going on vacations, etc.  But who on earth needs that much stuff?  Who on earth needs more than 1 million per year?  That's more than $83,000 per month (before taxes)!  $100,000 per year is a pretty good income for goodness sakes!

I don't think people should be allowed to make more than 1 million per year.  After that, it has to go to charity.  Let's put all this money that people don't actually need into countries like Malawi or Nicaragua, and really make a difference in the world.  Our grandchildren should be able to enter this world and never see a World Vision commercial.

If everyone could just stop and realize that we all deserve the basics of life.  We all deserve the chance to live in a clean, warm home with food in our bellies.  But everyone is so busy, rushing around and letting life pass them by.  We've become so disconnected from life.  And this results in such a selfish society as a whole.

Movie stars that need 10 million for one movie, and hockey players making millions to play hockey!  Why?  I know these are major money making enterprises, but what's wrong with letting the less fortunate benefit from our surplus?  When did it become normal for someone playing a sport to make more than a doctor saving lives?  When did we decide that it was acceptable for people to own 10 houses and have personal chefs, while there are millions of children starving to death in the mud with no roof over their heads?

Many who like to say that they they 'follow Jesus' example' in fact do not even seem to grasp the basic principles of the book they so love.  They put their hope in some invisible being that will one day make it all better, instead of wondering what they could do right now to help.

Everyone seems to think that the worlds problems are just too big and awful to solve.  That there's just no way anyone could make a difference, so why even bother?  "I can't end poverty, so I'm just going to ignore it and wait for God/Allah/Vishnu... to fix it one day" seems to the attitude of many.

But here's the thing, we can each make a difference.  It may be small, and it may seem insignificant, but to someone, somewhere it could mean the world.

Something else to think about:  We all came from Africa originally.  That is where mankind came to be.  Why is it one of the most neglected continents in the world?

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr:

"Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.


And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

2 comments:

  1. Like with most awesome stuff, denmark blocked it. *shakes fist at danish internet*

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lame! I'll play it for you when I come (on my ipod)! Eeeeee 3 more sleeps till I see your face! Huzzah!

    ReplyDelete