Ending poverty
By Pose123
@Pose123 (21635)
Canada
November 9, 2008 3:26pm CST
Is it possible to eliminate poverty? Despite the magnitude of the problem, I believe it is not only possible but that it will someday become a reality. When we look at the situation from a global perspective it is certainly a formidable task, with 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty. Statistics tell us that every three seconds a child dies from poverty related causes, that 50,000 people die every day and 800 million lie down hungry every night. With such stark realities facing them, world leaders must act for the poor can wait no longer. One of the biggest challenges will be ridding the world of corrupt governments, demoralised politicians and tainted government officials and replacing them with men and women of integrity and compassion. Most people will probably say that it is impossible, and it may look that way at the moment, but many things that were thought impossible half a century ago are fact today. It is time that we dare to say that nothing is unattainable and move forward with determination to rid the world of this terrible outrage.
5 people like this
12 responses
@Roseo8 (2947)
• India
14 Nov 08
Hello Pose..what a beautiful picture you have painted of a happier and colourful tomorrow......sigh..I will do anything to help make this dream picture a reality......But being a very practical person,(and not a pessimistic one for sure),all I can say is that this is going to remain a dream only,Pose....
Yes I agree with you that nothing is impossible and the world is changing for the better today and technology is helping man establish his strength and making the wowrld smaller for him....But Pose dear,is there any technology that can change the attitude of man,and make him reach out for his less blessed half and try to elevate them to an equal or better position..No,never...At best what a person does is give some charity to that person...and thats why I say its difficult to eliminate povery from the face of this earth.....Because its impossible to eliminate the feeling of selfishness,greed and power,of the 'haves' which are acting as hindrances towards the elimination of the 'have nots'.........
1 person likes this
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
14 Nov 08
Hi Rose and thanks for your comment but I believe it will happen because the time is fast approaching when people will have no other choice. I am under no illusion that the change will come easily but saying it is impossible is like sweeping it under the rug, and that's what people have been doing for generations. I know that it may seem like a dream now but more and more people are speaking out and saying it must be done. I know that you would love to see it as well, but just find it hard to believe. For all the hungry and starving children out there we have to believe. Blessings my friend.
1 person likes this
reflected my thoughts about the subject,so well.....You sound so optimisitc,and I hope it will be a reality soon.....I guess if more amd more people begin dreaming ,and hoping for a better world,it may happen.....
@bdugas (3578)
• United States
10 Nov 08
Sorry I dont' think any one gives a crap about the poor in this country or the world for that matter, Oh yes they take up money to help overseas but how much actually gets to the people, not much I think someone said 10 cents out of a dollar. In all the talk from the candidates I never once heard one of them talk about what they could do to help the poor. Apparently if you are not middle class you don't count. I saw th emost horrible picture where a small child was trying to crawl to where he could get food at a feeding place somewhere over seas, and the vultures was walking behind him, waiting for him to give up. How can you let a child get to this stage. There are many reason a person is poor in this country and we have enough to see that none of this happens.
1 person likes this
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
11 Nov 08
Hi bdugas, Thank you for commenting and you are certainly not alone in thinking this way. I think we have no choice but to eliminate poverty or at least come as close as in humanly possible but I have no illusions about it being easy. Your thought about the child in the picture says it all, how can anyone let a child get to that stage? Blessings.
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
19 Nov 08
No Pose, its not possible to end poverty. Its presence is as real and as integral to society as day and night and white and black. Somewhere in-between the grey areas we the millions of middle-income live and its we who dream of a poverty free world. Economically, two thoughts were tried to end poverty. One was capitalism and the other was communism. The grey area of socialism is caught between the devil and the deep sea and not much good until and unless you take out the corrupt bureaucracy and the greedy industrialist and since this is a symbiotic relation, you can take neither of them out. Communism was a total failure as it created more lazy morons and discourage individual talent and capitalism, though successful in generating wealth, is not successful in removing poverty. So I think we are back to square one until and unless something exceptional happens.
1 person likes this
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
19 Nov 08
Hi sudiptacallingu, Thank you for responding to this post and for your comments. I feel that governments will be forced to act on poverty within the next few years as I really don't think that they will have any choice. I am under no illusion that it will be easy and neither do I pretend to know how it will come about but more and more people are calling for something to be done. You are right about Capitalism and Communism, but there has to be a better way. You may not think that it is possible but I believe that we have to get away from that idea. Blessings.
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
19 Nov 08
We can end poverty but at what cost? If all the rich people gave some of their money, and then the middle class, it will be that everyone will have the same amount and that will be communism. We can make it easier for those poor who work hard and are poor through no fault of their own, but there are those who are leeches, or the undeserving poor.
Instead of just giving money (except to those who are unable to work( get the poor to improve their living. That old adage about giving the man a fish, and then giving the man a net so he can catch his own, seems to work. But we cannot do, what Obama suggests, have a global tax, and punish the wealthy for making so much money. No interest loans to start their own businesses, paying them a wage, starting a co=op credit union so they can give loans and get the money back are a few good suggestions.
1 person likes this
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
20 Nov 08
Hi suspenseful, Thank you for responding and for your comments. Ending poverty should be possible without any great hardship for anyone. There is far to much greed in the world, and everyone should have the basic necessities of life. I know there are some people who feel that the world owes them a live, but these are a small minority. You have some good ideas here and I certainly agree that we cannot just keep giving. We do have to teach and help the poor to earn for themselves. More and more people of compassion are speaking out and I really belief that we are at a crossroads. Blessings.
@headhunter525 (3548)
• India
14 Nov 08
I certainly believe it is possible to wipe out abject poverty. It is not that there is no sufficient food for all. There is food for all. It just needs to be distributed to all. I guess if the rich takes more burden to wipe it off, within a month it could be done. Of course, to bring all the rich to that level of understanding and working together is an impossible task. But I also feel tht if the media can highlight such poverty little more and reduce the limelight celebrities are getting little bit, there can be more changes.
1 person likes this
@binkam (7)
• India
19 Nov 08
In my opinion all the enthusiasts like us should form a chain of helping hands to remove the poverty. If 10 people take up the job of looking after the studies of a single poor kid voluntarily, it can be helpful to his family. And If the people in the street donates small amounts of rice to the poor families it can help them to with stand in needy times. This helping hand should be strong until the first result comes. After that these fruits at least 70% can be used to uplift other poor people. Winning on poverty or any social enemies collectiveness is the key.
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
19 Nov 08
Hi binkam, Thanks for that thought, and you are certainly thinking right. We can all do our part and things are already happening. We must also let our governments know that we want to see action taken and if we make enough noise, they will listen, at least in most countries. We must get away from thinking that ending poverty is impossible, it's this kind of thinking that has kept us from coming up with solutions before. Nothing is impossible and the more people we have involved the quicker the solution will be found. Blessings.
@BellasmamaTiff (2544)
• United States
10 Nov 08
Its a sad but true statement that there will always be people that do not want to better themselves. They could get out of poverty, by learning new skills, attending classes, and actually be able to make themselves a life better, but, they choose not to. Its too hard of work for them. We will always have some people that are in that mind set. And too many people with the mind set that the world owes them a living.
1 person likes this
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
10 Nov 08
i dont believe it will be possible to end poverty because greed is a terrible thing. you can teach people to farm and all but there will still be hollywood stars and famous athletes that spend $800- on a pair of jeans! i just dont think you could get everyone on board to do something like that.
1 person likes this
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
11 Nov 08
Hi cher, Thank you for expressing your thoughts on this, I appreciate it. I know where you are coming from on this but I think the time has come to try. People have been saying it's impossible for too long, it's the easy way out. I think the human race will pay dearly unless something is done soon. Blessings.
@Mirita (2668)
• United States
9 Nov 08
Education should be mandatory ,so that every child has an opportunity to learn ,but we also need a program where kids can have breakfast and lunch at school regardless of their ability to pay. I think we need to replace some
of the corrupted people that we have now ,so that we can bring progress to third world countries. Is we provide food and education to the younger generation, and we provide job opportunities to their parents it might be possble to eliminate poverty. Also, to provide villages with funds to start their own business might be
a great start to a better future.
1 person likes this
@izathewzia (5134)
• Philippines
11 Nov 08
It is really possible to end poverty if we will all help each other elevate each others' conditions. We should think of others and not only ourselves so we can support one another. We should prioritize others as well and not only our own conditions.
@kdhartford (1151)
• United States
9 Nov 08
I believe that it is possible to end poverty, but I do not believe that the answer is solely government. Governments as we know them are excessively inefficient. The real solution is a blended type solution between governments, business, and non-profits to get it done. Government can do alot, but it will be business that carries the bulk of that load. I good book to read is "Mega-Communities."
1 person likes this
