A Flourishing Nation...A Dying World

In the fast-paced America that we live in, when do we ever stop and think about the world around us?...the problems and deaths going on beyond American soil. Honestly, so many us have become so saturated in our own wonderful lives that we don't know what's out there. We indulge ourselves in selfish luxuries, spending money like it grows on trees. I'm not going to lie, I am one of those Americans that do not know what is going on with the rest of the world. It might be ignorance, or just the lack of interest in educating myself. It is very sad actually.

Looking at the pictures of hurricane victims in Haiti really struck me. It's almost as if the people in the pictures are crying out to you...hoping someone out there would save them. Save them from this life that they did not ask for, did not deserve. A life where tomorrow is just a word rather than a promise. How is it that we can be living such comfortable lives here in America when the rest of the world is suffering? Many of us don't think that we could make a difference, and sad to say, some don't even care. To them, it's not their problem, so why solve it? It's pure ignorance; and that's where the saying "ignorance is bliss" comes into play.

The last time I visited Philippines was when I was nine. The very first cry of poverty echoed the moment I got out of the airport. I was riding in a jeepney, similar to a bus, and little kids where grabbing on to the door handles and railings of the back of the vehicle, begging for money. There must have been five or six of them. Everywhere I went, there were beggers seeking for a generous heart. Philippines really doesn't have much. They are quite poor, and my mother always reminds me of that. She tells me how many children there cherish every little toy they receive, since presents don't come around much. As little as they may have, they are still very happy people. When you take time from your daily hussle and bustle and think about the poor conditions out there, you realize that you have it good. You no longer sweat about the guy that just cut you off the road, what homework you have to do, or even what you're going to wear to school the next day. It all really means nothing when you think of those who have nothing.