Poverty:
And
the World Within
Luke
Frantz
English
102 041W
Leslie
Jewkes
December
3, 2012
Abstract
While conducting research for this
essay a familiar pattern of poverty both within the United States and around
the globe began to emerge. These similarities both travelled in parallel lines,
yet, also reflected very different problems. Within this essay creative
solutions will be analyzed, as will factors to global poverty.
Luke Frantz
Professor Leslie Jewkes
English 102
November 14, 2012
Poverty: And the World Within
Life
is an experience leading to an infinite number of outcomes depending on ones
place of birth. This planet is lavished with natural resources, fertile land to
harvest crops, and a multitude of elements that can be fashioned together in
creating the dynamic technology seen throughout the world. Instruments can
gather information, telling about the furthest reaches of space, and medicines can
cure nearly any disease. Not only are there machines that can predict the
weather, but there are also computers on the brink of surpassing the human
intellect (Grossman,
Lev). With all these inventions doing remarkable things, our planet,
along with its people, still allow countries to provide unsafe drinking water,
and curable diseases are still killing millions of people each year: “according to UNICEF,
26,500-30,000 children die each day due to poverty – that’s 18 children dying
every minute, a child every three seconds” (11 Facts about Global Poverty).
These issues demand our attention, and with a proper mindset and an open heart
society can come together and rid the world once and for all of poverty.
Nature
has the ability to provide and the unbending fact that “in this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich
and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we
have lost the way” (The Great Dictator). This quote plainly states the necessity of
equality and the abundance of life giving properties seen throughout nature. “It is generally agreed that shortages of water and
contaminated water supplies are the biggest health problems in the world today,
causing the death of some 4,500 children every day” (Tackling Global Poverty).
The human race is equipped with all the right tools to cultivate a planet where
harmony is the key ingredient, and going to war and settling differences with
blood and violence is a long outdated fallacy of the past. By collectively
refusing to stand up for intolerance, poverty rates will continue to rise, as
it is now being estimated that the Millennium Developmental Goals will fail to
reach nearly 30 million underweight children (Poverty Facts and Stats). This intolerance will allow
oppression to continue at unheard of rates. Poverty around the world will
follow the course of the river, and the cycle of poverty will continue.
Destitution will always be a reflection of the world around it and the similarities
and differences on the matter have a striking resemblance to America, in
conjunction with drastic aberrations.
It
would seem throughout the developed world the struggle for survival has been
mostly forgotten. The world, from a western perspective, is often perceived
through the lens of corporate media, television, and extravagance, rather than a
humble, open-minded outlook that provides equality to all humans. In todays
world 1% of the population controls 99% of wealth (Domhoff Wiliam) through
finances and corporations that dictate media, food standards, laws, and
education (Foster Gamble). This outrageous accumulation of wealth acts as a
vacuum that sucks up competition, creating more power and wealth in the
process. From this perspective, the picture being painted becomes clearer as to
the reasons poverty is not being acknowledged on a global scale. The
individuals in charge of media only portray a fraction of what is actually
taking place across the globe, and in order to become educated, one must first
be inspired to find the research and statistics on their own. A call to action,
asking individuals to band together and promote change and a better world will
never be broadcast over a major, multinational television program. The reasons
for this omission are up to the individual to decide.
Society
and the world as a whole have strayed away from the union of brotherhood, and
in turn adopted a secular consciousness, becoming comfortable in forgetting
about the less fortunate. When looking at a map of the world it is divided by
state boundaries, county lines, area codes, upper class neighborhoods, and poor
and de-privileged areas. In other parts of the world, separation can be seen in
tribes, clans, villages, religious beliefs, color of skin, caste systems, and
even royalty. With these divisions life from all angles is viewed as separate.
When looking at poverty across the world, things become easier to look past. “It
is not happening over here, so why worry about it” is a common phrase and all
too dismissive. The successes achieved by the individual becomes the focus,
losing perspective on the greater world and strictly focusing on personal achievements
casts a shadow on the less fortunate, simulationsly failing to see the bigger
picture of a flawed system of control and the series of events that lead the
country, and people involved in undergoing their current set of circumstances.
This
progression can be seen nearly anywhere, and learning from mistakes is crucial.
Enlightened minds, since the beginning of recorded time have addressed the
needs of the less fortunate. It would seem, especially through developed
nations that blinders have been placed over the eyes. Life is lived from the
standpoint of having enough to survive, and even having more than enough. Food
in the Western world can be purchased at a multitude of vendors and even
ordered through the luxury of the Internet. Natural medicines can be purchased
at vitamin stores, and grocery stores alike. With an illness personal research
can be done, providing an inside look into a disease; taking out the fear of
misdiagnosis and flawed second hand information. Luxuries such as these are not
in place to accumulate guilt, but rather so individuals can see the blessings of
being born in such a remarkable place in the world. These advancements and
tools to help sustain life should be shared among all cultures and
nationalities.
When
looking at poverty in separate parts of the world Romania has an exceptional
amount of poverty. After the Cold War ended a ban was placed on contraceptives
and abortion, leaving men and women both is harsh positions in caring for
children they could not afford. Work was hard to come by, and the fear of not
having a place to live, or food to eat drove thousands of children to the
streets in search for shelter and nutrition. Poverty also brings the sad
reality of depression, alcoholism, and drug abuse. These factors play a major
role in many of these children leaving. In Romania, at any given moment, nearly
20,000 youth are on the street that band together and form “tribes” or groups
that live together underground in train stations or abandoned buildings across
the cities (Children Underground).
In
the United States it has been reported that nearly one in four children under
the age of six live in poverty. Poverty at this crucial age of development can
also, in turn, affect the rest of their lives. Babies are not given adequate
nutrition or environments that allow them to thrive, and children are less
likely to achieve success academically (Matthews, Hannah). So, what does that tell us about our
countries future? Only time will reveal those secrets. Within the United States,
poverty rates are frightening but still not the highest in the world. This
being said, there are programs, resources, and funding that are available,
along with resources that can be attained from churches, organizations, and the
United States government. This can help alleviate a small percentage of the
burden of poverty.
Life is a
delicate balance of work and play, and the truth that globally we are missing
the mark of equality and fairness is impossible to look past. In order to
create a better future, intelligent solutions to modern day problems need
forged. In underdeveloped countries lack of electricity and clean water is a
fundamental cause of illness, and with this comes a unique opportunity for
corporations and people alike to band together and cultivate a better, more sustainable
future (Foster Gamble). Individuals on a personal and collective level must
demand a fair media that portrays the truth and also acts as a mentor in creating
charities and missions where people can freely travel and offer individual
solutions to these issues. People must also search for truth. Often, what is
seen is only a small portion of what is actually happening. Individuals need to
be informed. “Severe poverty, together with climate
change, are the two most important moral problems facing our present
generation. The choices we make in the next few years will decide the life
chances of billions of human beings; the inhabitability of large areas of the
planet, and the survival or demise of numerous ecosystems” (St. Clair, Asunción). With
this information, proper insight and viewpoints, the human race can merge
together and tackle the problems that have haunted this planet for far too
long.
Works
Cited
"11 Facts about Global
Poverty." Do Something. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-global-poverty>.
Children Underground. Dir. Edet Belzberg. 2001. DVD.
Domhoff, William. "Who
Rules America: Wealth, Income, and Power." Who Rules America: Wealth, Income, and Power. N.p., Oct.
2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html>.
Foster Gamble. Donate.
Dir. Thrive. N.p., n.d. Web. 02
Dec. 2012. <http://www.thrivemovement.com/>.
The Great Dictator. Dir. Charlie Chaplin. Perf.
Charlie Chaplin. 1940. DVD.
Grossman, Lev. "Breaking
News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews." Time. Time, n.d. Web.
01 Dec. 2012. <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2048299,00.html>.
Matthews, Hannah. "When
a Headline Isn't News: Child Poverty Persists." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 Sept.
2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-matthews/when-a-headline-isnt- news_b_1877626.html>.
"Poverty Facts and Stats."
- Global Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2012. <http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats>.
St. Clair, Asunción.
"Global Poverty: Development Ethics Meets Global Justice." Globalizations
3.2 (2006): 139-58. Print.
"Tackling Global
Poverty." Nature Nanotechnology 2.11 (2007): n. pag. Academic
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Dec. 2012.
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