This is an opinion piece based on the article below.
How bad does the world have to get before we start to realize that it’s not all clean tap water, endless food buffets and golden toilets that whisk our poop away? Real people, children, are suffering an agonizing slow death because of a comparatively smaller group of self-centered and self-absorbed rich elites. I didn’t have the words to describe my disappointment until recently and I’ve stopped turning away and ignoring the problem. It is unacceptable to me that in a country of so-called Christians, we have put a man into the White House that is going to reduce the amount of funds that go to foreign humanitarian aid, not increase them.
The commodity that is so badly needed in these areas you ask? Water. Simple water. So many American’s take it for granted that when they turn on the tap, clean and drinkable water flows out. What if all of a sudden, due to causes outside of your control, that water was now cloudy, thick and slimy; would you still drink it? Would you get so thirsty, almost on the brink of death, that you would risk drinking the water that you know for certain will get you sick? I’ve personally never been in that position, but imagine that I would in order to fight for my life and stay alive. A human can go 4-6 weeks without food, but only 4-5 days without water before a fatality occurs.
There is a real possibility, almost a certainty, that Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen will be in the grips of a months long famine later this year. That is approximately 20 million people who will be starving and dehydrated and more than likely facing death before the end of this year. How can the world idly standby and watch this crisis unfold and not do anything? There is more than enough food and water in the world to where no one would ever have to face being hungry or thirsty ever again. Technology has enabled us to clean the dirtiest and nastiest of any source of water. We have the ability to create self-sustaining systems of food production after creating the environment for that to take hold in the first place.
All it takes, unfortunately, is money. Money drives all of our decisions, not fellow humans. Why someone sitting on $75 billion doesn’t believe they can part with 50% of their wealth and STILL live the same life they’re living currently is beyond my comprehension. I’ve never even had $1 million, let alone $1 billion. Sure there will be some in the “have” category that will see this as the ravings of someone in the “have not” category. I have enough in my life to live the way I do, I don’t need more than that. I’ve had my down turns and have been financially troubled in the past, but I’ve pulled through. A portion of my salary, even in my lowest points, has been set aside for donations to various organizations that assist foreign humanitarian efforts.
Call me an apologist, a bleeding-heart, or whatever else that comes to mind. It won’t change how disappointed I am with some of my fellow humans that refuse to see others not as fortunate as they are as anything but a sub-standard class of people. We don’t choose where we get born, but we choose how we get to live our lives regardless of where we’re born. A Somalian native, scratching the best existence their circumstances allow, is a far better example of a human being than most wealthy elite in any first world country.
When it’s America’s turn to suffer drought, food shortages, etc., will we get the help we need from other countries or will we get a figurative middle finger?
Life Between 0 and 1 
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