How To Eradicate Poverty

[Ankesh]

People die daily. But to say they otherwise shouldn't have, is to place one person's life above another's for no other reasons than the Manner of their death.

Ankesh, probably the Biggest Killer on the planet is Pneumonia. I don't see a pneumonia awareness week/day. I don't see a blog action day (B.A.D.) where a bunch of good-guy badge seekers write on ridding the world of pneumonia.

Thanks Michael.

Im confused. You think there should be a B.A.D for pneumonia? Or not? Should awareness be raised or not?

I understand that there are 101 things wrong with the world. But saying that we shouldn't work on 1 just because we can't work on all together doesn't make sense to me.

I think raising awareness is a good thing. Even if it doesn't always lead to the desired outcome. (For eg: I doubt that we will eradicate poverty completely because of yesterdays blogging by a few thousand people.)

You know my take on global warming. I don't really care if its man made or natural. All I care about is it causes hurricanes and floods - which kills people. And if we can change and control nature better than before, we should.

Saying let people die and property be destroyed because global warming is a natural occurance - is flippant to me.

People die daily. True. But to say that we should let them die... no sir I can't agree with that notion.

Ankesh,

Thanks for asking for more.

I am Not saying to have a B.A.D. for Pneumonia. I am saying... Why have one for Poverty - an undefinable thing, which has no solution - when there are far more important things to Blog About?

The biggest killer is pneumonia. Isn't THAT more important than whether some have a "roof over their head"?

Mugabe Murders his people; steals their property. Isn't THAT more important than someone being able to afford a medical bill?

Palestine receives money from the United Nations, they are lead by a known Terrorist Organization. The UN funds come from Member Nations, like the USA. So the USA is funding the terrorists in Palestine while claiming to be fighting a War on Terror. (How can you claim to fight something you are funding?)

I did not say there are 101 things wrong. I AM saying there are More Important things than blogging about a Feel Good subject like Poverty.

Onward.

So people die in Hurricane and floods. People also die in plane crashes, car crashes, falling down a flight of stairs, off off ladders, and a myriad of other ways. Why are those who die in Hurricanes worth more effort to prevent than any other manner of death?

I am AGAINST playing with the planet's weather - for whatever feelgood reason you have. Our weather is not just a yearly thing and be done with it. It's a Longer process. Something that changes over the course of hundreds of thousands of years. THAT is something we just should NOT mess with - for Any Reason.

There are entire ecosystems that depend on those hurricanes and floods. Stop the weather and all those systems perish. But everything is symbiotic.

Weathermen can't even Accurately forecast tomorrow's weather. And they have all the best weather monitoring gear. No way I want them - or anyone - to try to Control our weather.

If you want to build a hurricane proof home. Go right ahead. Smarter to move to an area not frequented by such violent weather.

Worried about flood? Don't live in flood prone areas then. Simple, isn't it.

You don't agree we should let people die? But you do Ankesh, you do. Your actions speak for you.

You allow it to happen daily. I don't see you out on the streets keeping people from dying. I don't see you selling all your worldly possessions, flying to Ethiopia with as much food as you can carry and feeding the starving hordes.

No. Like all do-gooders, you want Others to make your wish come true. You want Others to make sacrifices for what You deem are worthy causes and good works.

$1 a day to save a child. Nah, but it sure as heck buys a guilt free conscience don't it?

Want to save them, really. Bring them over. Raise them. Feed them in Your home. Heck, sell your home and go over there and feed them in person until you run out of money - then join the hungry queue.

1,000 bloggers writing on poverty. Phooey. They woulda done more good spending $100 of their own money - not anyone else's, their own - buying fruit tree seedlings and planting them. Letting the trees bear fruit and that fruit can feed people. Their own people in their own country.

You want to feed people? Are you buying as much foods as your money can afford and giving it away - like maybe in food give aways to the defineless Needy? Are you also giving of your time to distribute the stuff?

You're not, are you?

And that's what fries my grits. That ALL do-gooders are the same. They talk a good talk but don't walk the walk. They want Other People to walk the walk for them. They want Other people to be the Sacrificial Animals for their Good Works. Because the talk Sounds so good - and they will be thought well of.

I have no such desires. If you think I am Evil for my stance, so be it. But I think it is more evil to extract values from people and turn them into semi-slaves for what you/others deem as good works of some kind. THAT is more of an Evil than my not wanting to be bled dry and my allowing other people to be - or not be - as they so choose.

I know you want to save the world. But the world does not want to be saved. And claiming to want to save it does nothing except get you kudos from others who this year deem World Saving as a good thing to be doing.

Instead of trying to save the world - or trying to get others to save the world for you, how about leading your own life to its fullest. Lead by example. Do not gloat over what you do, just do it and be happy with it.

The best thing you can do for the world is lead a happy life and do what you want to do.

Michael Ross

[Ankesh]

Thanks Michael.

Why was Poverty chosen for B.A.D? I think it was because poverty is a topic most people can write on. Most people don't know what is going on in Zimbabwe. But almost everyone has seen poverty one way or another. Obvious disclosure: I'm not one of the organizers of B.A.D. So I have no idea of their thought process. Thats my thinking.

(I personally think education and poverty are 2 chief causes. Take care of them and pneumonia etc will become a small issue on its own.)

So people die in Hurricane and floods. People also die in plane crashes, car crashes, falling down a flight of stairs, off off ladders, and a myriad of other ways. Why are those who die in Hurricanes worth more effort to prevent than any other manner of death?

They are not worth more effort. But you have to start somewhere. Again -- just because you can't deal with every unnecessary death together doesn't mean you shouldn't start with even one.

Yes - I would like to see cars with sonar technology with auto-brakes so that they don't cause as many accidents too.

Here is the grub: I neither know how to build such cars. Nor do I know how to prevent hurricanes. So I do what I can. And I try to build awareness for what I can't.

There are entire ecosystems that depend on those hurricanes and floods. Stop the weather and all those systems perish. But everything is symbiotic.

Weathermen can't even Accurately forecast tomorrow's weather. And they have all the best weather monitoring gear. No way I want them - or anyone - to try to Control our weather.

Did we or didn't we change the way of the nature by implementing irrigation systems?

Did we or didn't we manage to dilute the influence of nature by building 101 floored sky scrapers in earthquake prone zones? (Taipei 101 in Taiwan is bang middle in an earthquake zone.)

People don't know how the waves work, yet they can sail wonderfully.

We still don't know how electricity works. But yet we have lights.

We may not know how the weather works. But that doesn't mean we can't do a better job of controling and leveraging it.

You don't agree we should let people die? But you do Ankesh, you do. Your actions speak for you.

Yes I don't sell everything and go to Ethopia. Nor do I invest all my time helping others. But I do what I can. Just because I can't reach everyone doesn't mean I agree with letting people die.

That would mean saying You agree with Government taxing people because you pay the taxes. I know You don't agree with it (at least thats what I get from our past discussions). But you do what you can.

1,000 bloggers writing on poverty. Phooey.

1 person phooey-ing 1,000 bloggers effort of building awareness - whats that Michael?

Wasn't the breaking of the Berlin wall initiated by 6 people with candles in their hands?

I know you want to save the world. But the world does not want to be saved.

Thats where building the awareness part comes in. In persuading the world to want to change. (Ah -- I know I've opened a can of worms with that...)

I have no such desires. If you think I am Evil for my stance, so be it.

I don't think that stance is evil. Its just a lazy way out in my humble opinion.

When the airplane is in trouble, you should first put on your own oxygen mask. True. But then if you just sit back and look at someone else struggle with his mask - and do nothing to help - that is either laziness or selfishness - or both.