During my spring break I went to Cabo San Lucas in the Baja peninsula in Mexico. The area is fast growing down there, and it is developed almost the entire way to San Jose De Cabo, the next town about 20-30 miles north of the city. But despite Wal-Mart moving in and Sam’s Club and Home Depot, among other large corporations already being there, the growth has not benefited many of the locals. There are million dollar mansions on the beach, five star resorts and hotels, and large corporate chains all around. Yet the contrast is striking between this and how some of the locals live. I noticed while I was at Sam’s Club, that not fifty yards from the parking lot there was a small squatter’s one room shack made out of pieces of scrap aluminum and plywood. I could tell someone was living in it because there were pieces of laundry hanging out on the line outside of it. The conditions looked horrible: clearly no electricity or running water. But I fear it could be getting worse. Instead of helping the community, the government allows large corporations such as Wal-Mart to come in and kill all local business. Hundreds of locals depending on their small convenience stores and other shops will soon be without work. Instead of adopting a policy that gives money or shelter to those in desperate poverty, “SQUATTERS WILL BE PROSECUTED” signs and barbed wire go up around any open land.
This situation is not unique to Baja Sur or Mexico. It is happening across the globe. I find it extremely sad that we live in a world where everyone is looking out for the interests of their wallet while no one is looking out for the people that truly need help. In Mexico the rich get richer while the squatters starve. In America everyone has equal rights, but poor blacks are getting their land taken away from them after hurricane Katrina by eminent domain because their grass is too long. In Sudan big business thrives while children are forced to kill or be killed. In India the elite do not interact with the poor, and the poor cut off their hands and feet to get sympathy from passers by who may drop them a coin.
Something needs to change.
What I propose.
Many governments have clearly conveyed their lack of interest in helping those without the means to help themselves. The favelas in Rio de Janeiro are a good example of the Brazilian government’s neglect of the over one million squatters living in the hills around the city. Many governments are simply unable to help out their large populations of impoverished citizens, while other governments choose to ignore these people. So if the government cannot or will not help, then we, as people, must try.
In order for any real difference to be made, something radical must happen. Therefore I propose an anti-capitalistic approach to economy. The fact is that capitalism by its very nature creates class differences that leave millions behind. I believe that a gift-based economy, as apposed to a trade-based economy, would help to transform the world into a better place. Instead of approaching business with the “what do these people have to offer me?” mentality, a “what can I do to help?” mentality may serve a better purpose. Moreover, I believe in asking for what you want and giving generously.
If every person answered their calling, then we would all have something to share with one another. It is highly unlikely that every single one of those in the work force that sit day-in day-out in a cubicle actually want to be there. I am positive that some wanted to be firemen or artists or musicians or farmers or something other than what they are. What if they all decided to follow their dreams? Everyone would support the artists of the world, creating a more beautiful world in which more of the impoverished could participate. If one in ten cubicle slaves decided to quit their jobs and build community centers and gardens, then more people would have places to sleep and things to eat.
Of course, this has to happen on a large scale for any real difference to be made at the global level. Skeptically you may be thinking, “That sounds impossibly utopian. How can I make any real change if it would take everyone to change as well?” The answer my friend, is that you can make change.
Stop buying from Wal-Mart and start shopping at local businesses. Find a cause you really believe in and tell everyone you know about it. Cultivate a garden in your backyard. Sponsor a local farm and eat local produce. Lobby for a community center in your neighborhood. Reduce the number of hours you work each week. Buy from local artists and musicians. Volunteer with or donate to Oxfam America, Habitat for Humanity, or any other non-profit organization in which you believe. Keep non-perishable food in your car and generously give it to any homeless person you see.
Take it upon yourself to consciously work for a better environment for all and live life the way you truly think it should be lived.
4 comments:
Alright, i really liked this alot and I have no idea where you've found the time to write this. Butttt one small problem with it I don't quite understand....at the end you mention solutions to solve this problem that anyone can do.
One of them " Reduce the number of hours you work each week. "
I'm a little confused at this. What if your job is something you love to do, that is benefitting society in a positive way and helping other people? I want to teach. Should I cut down on the hours I give teaching children?
And what about people that LIKE working in a cubicle of some sorts, or like the big pay some jobs give, even if they aren't necessarily helping the community? I guarantee alot of people steer away from jobs they may see as their "calling" simply because our society doesn't view them as being "professional" jobs, like firemen or gardeners, maybe more of hobbies, and the pay for these jobs is next to nothing. Alot of people aren't going to go for jobs that they may be more interested in, simply because they pay terribly.
Talk to me.
less hours worked=more hours lived.
simply put.
"i would rather have a life than a living."
of course you make a valid point about people that actually DO love their jobs, but the point of my post is for people to "find their calling" so to speak. if your calling already is your job, then great wonderful you're awesome. i doubt that is the case for the vast majority of americans though. and even if it is, everyone can do more to create more acceptable living conditions for all. i am not suggesting that you stop teaching or cut down on those hours, just reevaluate the way in which you teach to see if anything else can be done.
you say "i guarantee a lot of people steer away from (those) jobs...because society doesn't view them as being 'professional'". this is very true and a good point, however, as of late, i am in the business of social change, as i think everyone else should be. so if society doesnt accept these paths then we must make the change, because in reality, we are society. if many people decide to change, society as a whole cannot ignore them forever. we must be the change we hope to create. i think gandhi said that or something similar at one point.
Okay I do NOT understand your last paragraph at all. I mean I understand the idea of what youre trying to get at, but you went in the most vague, and dramatic, diplomatic way to address that idea.
"however, as of late, i am in the business of social change, as i think everyone else should be."
Awfully closedminded? Since you think a certain way, everyone else should?
"so if society doesnt accept these paths then we must make the change, because in reality, we are society."
Paths? Career paths? Like the jobs i mentioned viewed as less professional?
Talk to me about this. I'm not sure how you go about changing how a job is percieved by a group of people. Sure, firemen are seen as brave and heroic and inspiring. And gardners are seen as patient and caring. But are these jobs seen as professional, long-term jobs that citizens can live off of? No. When people think of professional jobs they think of lawyers, doctors, ceos. Big paying jobs that require tons of extra schooling. So how do you change THAT aspect of society, to make all jobs essentially "equal", as you seem to want, so that everyone lives happily just doing what they are interested in doing?
Talk to me.
i dont think its closeminded in the least. i said that everyone should be in the business of social change because i doubt you can find one person that thinks the world is perfect. therefore, everyone should be at least atempting to change the world to align with their views on how it should be. thus, if someone disagrees with me 100%, then i challenge them to attempt to shift the world towards their view, not towards mine.
paths=carreer paths that i was talking about.
i dont want to make all jobs equal. that wasnt my goal at all. ideally, i'd like it if everyone loved their job and were able to survive doing it, and that these jobs positively contributed to society in a way that is in alignment with the said person's outlook.
and i propose this change with the hope that people will start catching on and go for what they feel is best, not what they think. if every person did what they wanted to do, be it painting, gardening, trading, building, or whatever, society must follow because everyone IS society. if people just did what they want then that itself would be the change.
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