You've probably all heard the question "If a tree falls in the woods when nobody is around, does it still make a sound?". I think the same question or attitude exists regarding the world's problems. Because we can so easily change the channel and choose which news stories to read, we have the ability to essentially ignore the issues in our world. Now, I will admit that I am not one to typically watch the news (unless you call SportsCenter news) nor do I read the newspaper (except the sports section) so I suppose I am one of those who ignores what is going on. So the question is; if we don't know that billions of people are starving, don't have clean water or are dying from treatable diseases, does that mean it isn't really happening? Of course not!
The truth is, this really is happening all across the world. We could debate forever on the reasons why people are starving and why they don't have clean water as well as how to keep them from starving or the best way to provide clean water, but that's not the point of this post. The point is that it is happening whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.
There was recently a tragedy in the Seattle area where a little 9-year-old girl died as a result of a traffic accident. What has been amazing about this tragedy is that since the accident happened, nearly $1,000,000 has been raised towards clean water projects around the world (here is a good article from the NY Times about her story and here is a link to her page at charity:water if you would like to donate) because of this little girl's selfless attitude and desire to help. There have been a little over 25,000 donations made on her page making the average donation roughly $38. That doesn't even cover 1/2 of a monthly Starbucks tab for many people in the Seattle area. I am ecstatic about the response of people to this tragedy and about the countless people who will benefit, but I can't help wondering why it took the death of this little girl for this to happen.
If you are reading this blog, it means that you have Internet access which probably makes you more wealthy than at least 90% of the world. "With great power comes great responsibility". I encourage you to ask yourself what you can do to help the other 90%. Then I encourage you to do it. Pretending that problems don't exist doesn't mean that they don't, it actually ensures that they will continue to.
