WOW. great video. it has made me realize how fortunate i am and how many out there are struggling just to survive. it is truly inspiring and triggers the mind.
perhaps this video should be shown world wide, during tv commercial, so that the general public will be able to be inspired by this and it would generate greater awareness about the plight of the others out there. we may then be able to have a greater response to alleviate the hunger problems out there and ensure that food distribution to different parts of the world is equal.
What can I say......The population versus food supply problem has always been here since the first baby boom during the industrialization times. http://www.popline.org/docs/0202/752511.html shows that since 1960, food has been having difficulty in keeping up with the population. Not that I do not want to help these people, but I seriously doubt if our efforts by simply not wasting food would pay off efficiently. The major problem seems not to be wasting but the immense number of people around and nowhere enough bare necessities for everyone. This video is correct to a certain extent, but it still does not come to the root of thr hunger problem in the world.
Thank you, Cheng Mun. I'm so glad you found the short film meaningful. It's always heartening to see the young being more mindful of issues around them and wanting to make the world a better place for all. John, thank you for sharing your views. Perhaps you would like to share your idea of what you think the root problem is and how we can proceed to uproot it.
To say that “the poor will always be with us” is a pessimistic and lack-of-concern way in addressing the poverty issue which actually involves millions of poor people in the world. I think the root cause of poverty lies in the efficiency of government of a country. It is not that I want to place the responsibility on the government, but it is more of a fact that the government has the power in determining the future of their people. A government with good governance has the will and authority to create and maintain policies that lead to long-term development which benefits all their citizens and ensures their needs are met. However, corruption problem has always been the big barrier faced by many countries which prevents the poor from receiving the right treatment, causing them to remain in poverty. Therefore, it is important to have a government which strongly focuses on the well-being of every citizen. The government must put in effort in providing education for their people to ensure their economic survival and the basic necessaries such as clean water supply, sufficient amount of food and housings before the poor can have the ability to start making their own living. I think this is basically what eradicating poverty is about. There is a proverb that says, “One can’t make bricks without straw”, hence the government must provide the necessary needs and opportunities for the poor to get out of the poverty trap. If such measures are not taken, we will really have to face the problem of having “the poor always being with us”. Elton Foo (0924)
Although the poor will always be with us may be a hard to change fact, we should not have the mindset that it will forever be that case as this will result in the worsening of the poor's suffering. Richer countries can help poorer countries in their economic development. The richer countries can start by putting in place effective education system to educate the people there. with knowledge, they can find better jobs with higher pay and will not be trapped in the poverty cycle. I believe no one in this world is deserved to die because he/she is poor. Everyone should at least have the basic neccesities in life. Hence, I hope more help can be given to the poorer countries. This video is indeed very touching and it made me realised how fortunate I am. Compared to us, who always grumble and complain on the slightest setbacks we have in life, we really have to do some reflections on what is it that we want in life. We should be grateful for what we having now. Hui Ming 0919
I feel that this is not the way to respond to the problem of poverty in the world. If the world sees poverty as a natural happening, then the world will come to accept it and in turn believe that it is beyond their control. In my opinion, the poor cannot be completely eliminated from the world, however, it doesn't mean that nothing can be done to reduce the difficulties of the poor.
There are poor people in every country. If every leader of the country view the poor as a norm, then they will not even attempt to reduce the sufferings of the poor. The extent of poverty one experiences differs from country to country. Some just can't afford proper housing, while some cannot even afford a meal. This is greatly due to the government policies. If a country makes an effort to reach out the the poor, then, their burden can be lightened. On the other hand, if a country does not bother about the poor, then the poor can only depend on themselves for survival. Hence, the government policies can and will make a difference in the poor's lives.
Apart from government policies, the community also possesses the ability to lighten the burden of the poor. If there are more people willing to help the poor, it will make the world a much better place where the poor will suffer less.
Problems of poverty have been around since the ancient times, it's a problem that is difficult or maybe even impossible to solve. However, we must still put in efforts to improve their situations. Neglecting their problems will only lead to adverse effects and cause more social problems in the society.
I will like to add on regarding the video itself, that the government should educate the people on birth control. I am assuming that the poor in the video are a family. If they have careful family planning, knowing whether they have the ability to provide for another life, then maybe they wouldn't suffer so much.
This video reminds us about the severity of how wide the income gap between the rich and the poor really is. The contrast between the first part and the second part has shown us that while some may afford to waste large amount of food, and living luxurious life, others are barely making ends meet.
This problem might be mainly due to unequal allocation of resources, where the government has chosen to concentrate development in certain areas, neglecting various regions. This caused such a large disparity in income. One example is china, where the central part is relatively poor, as it is neglected due to its lack of resource worth developing, to generate higher returns in future. Whereas, significant amount of money is pumped into parts which are near the sea, as they could generate more income acting as ports. Hence, the poor will continue to be trapped in the poverty cycle.
I feel that the government should try and do something about this problem. Even though there are many international organizations in the world that is trying hard to aid countries such problems, the problem still remains.
For example, the Asian Development Bank which focuses on eradicating poverty by providing funds to countries in the Asia-pacific region and improving the status of women. The World Bank has also played a supportive role in eradicating global poverty and improving the standard of living of the people.
However, despite such help, countries which have been receiving aid for many years are still having low level of economic and human development. Examples would include African nations which have received large amounts of aids from the US and international communities, but have a per capita income remaining below US$500.
This results in over dependence of the less developed countries on such aids, that they may loose the incentive to work themselves. Corrupt governments also prevent such aids from being able to reach the people who really need it. For example, Ethiopia has received over us 1 billion in aid and yet, most of it is spent on military development instead.
I think that in order to alleviate poverty, we should tackle the problem in a more diverse method. Instead of just supplying money to these areas of poverty, we should try to increase the level of education of these people. In this globalized world, only education could secure one with a higher paying job, thus, bring them out of the poverty cycle and into a better standard of living. However, this cannot be implemented fully, as many of the poor do not have the time and energy for studying, as they are expected to help out with their family business such as farming.
Secondly, even though family planning is introduced, the poor health care in the country may prevent the people from controlling their family size. As they would want to give birth more, so that their child has a higher chance of survival. In addition, in countries with low development, the people would be having labour intensive jobs and hence, need more children to help out.
Hence, I feel that poverty will still remain part of the society, and it would be very hard to eradicate it. Furthermore, it requires a lot of effort on the part of the government and the international organizations to help reduce poverty on the whole. Hence it would be too costly and takes too long to be carried out. Tackling such a problem wouldn’t be on the top of a country’s to-do list, if they are already struggling to earn enough revenue to develop other parts of the economy.
Having a mindset, 'The poor will always be with us' is one which makes people reluctant to deal with the problem of poverty. Its as if 'why help?', when the problem cannot be solved. I feel this is not the way to respond to the problem of poverty. Its true that the problem cannot be completely solved, however its does not mean that there is no way of easing it.
The problem of poverty has been ongoing for centuries, be it being the fault of the government or the individual. Let's observe poverty from the view that poverty is not in a person's control. The root causes of poverty is the ceaseless poverty cycle. It would be hard for a person born poor to improve his/her status in society, as to start of, he/she would not even be able to get the basic education, which is essential in modern society. in such, the government could help by making policies which help end the poverty cycle, such as creating more awareness, making basic education compulsory and providing it for the poor are ways to stop the poverty cycle, thus easing the problem. I do agree that it is also partly the government's fault if there was corruptions or the poor were being neglected, however its is also impossible for the government to solve the whole problem of poverty. The community also plays a role in dealing with the problem. Support should be given by the people, and take a more proactive role in this issue, with a do-it-yourself attitude, rather than 'here's some money, now i have done my part'.
Though the problem of poverty is hard, or maybe even impossible, to solve, its is important to never neglect the issue and explore ways to end the poverty cycle.
I do not think that is a correct way to respond to the problem of poverty in the world. But I think it is still true as they were unfortunate people since the beginning of the world. We may not be able to clear that population but we can help to reduce the number of unfortunate people. Some people are facing hunger because there is no food on the barren land they are living on. Some are because they have no income as they do not receive education. Therefore, I think a person or a group who has the authority in the country will be able to help the poor efficiently by giving subsidies and making policy. Moreover, the international organizations or developed countries can help the less developed countries to solve such problems. It is really sad when I watch fortunate people wasting their food while unfortunate people are struggling for a single meal per day. Some people are not aware of such things are happening around the world and people are dying because of famine. Fortunate people are taking things for granted and lightly. I hope they can realize how difficult for unfortunate people to survive and cling to life. I really hope we can help to reduce the number of unfortunate people even there is only a slight success.
In my opinion, i feel that poverty cannot be totally stopped but we can try to minimise it. So i do not think that the way of responding is correct. Not many people are fortunate like us as there are human beings who are dying of starvation every day. As i have said before, although we cannot stop poverty, we could minimise it by equipping the poor with working skills and education. Richer people should help poorer people and developed countries should help developing countries so that poverty is reduced in our world. ~Jeya 0927
This clip definitely serves as a crucial reminder for those of us living in comfort and are taking things for granted in life. It is common to see many amongst us wasting food that may be of ultimate treasure to people living in poverty (such as in the clip). Without proper education on basic hygeine and nutrition, these people are ignorant of what they are actually consuming, simply wanting to fill their stomachs. I believe rather than directly concluding that 'The Poor will always be with us', as the more fortunate beings, we should actually reach out to these group of less fortunate people. Organisations (governmental/non-governmental) should introduce new policies and provide subsidies to aid these less developed countries to overcome the viscious poverty cycle. Though the process of eradicating poverty may be difficult, I feel that as an individual contribution, we should learn not to waste our food and take things for granted naturally.
I don't think that this is the way to respond to the problem of poverty in the world. Although this statement is true due to the uneven distribution of resources around the world, leading to poverty in some places and prosperity in others, such response seem to convey the message that since the poor will always be with us, no matter what we do, there is no real need in offering help o them. I feel that the government should ensure that its people are out of poverty as they should be taking care of their people's welfare and needs. Furthermore, the thing that the more well-to-do people could do include things such as donations and try not to waste food, as only then it shows that we appreciate what we have and do not take things for granted. ying ying(0919)
This statement alone shows me a lack of determination to resolve this issue at large. The author could have probably given up trying to solve the issue, thinking 'if we cannnot solve it, why not just take it in our stride? What can we do?' This line of thought underlines the author's desire to submit to whatever that is laid in front of him, making no more effort to reverse the fates of the underprivileged, making this world a more pleasant place to live in.
It is this kind of thinking that poverty levels are escalating. The feelings of helplessness, irresponsibility, nonchalant, selfishness have brought out the worst in all of us. Many could be thinking that it is none of their concern, leave it to humanitarian groups and government to help them out. Humanitarian groups and governments could then blame the public for not doing enough. Insteadd of passing the buck all day long, which will get them nowhere, why not take the initiative to lend a helping hand, it does not have to be a grand gesture. As the saying goes ' a little by everyone goes a long way'
I feel that the root of poverty is education. Lack of education, coupled with poor environmental condititions has made it difficult for the underprivilged to get out of the vicious poverty cycle. Education will equip these people with lifeskills which could help them in their survival in this world, rather than always providing them with material aid, which may cause them to be over-reliant on others for theri own survival. Without education, people could not better react to changes around them, which is often essential for their survival. Without education, people could not fully understand the predicament theyare in and adapt to it. Without education, people will find it hard to communicate and connect to the outside world, which is essential if they want to get out of these harsh environment they live in.
The issue of corruption is also at large, it is also the reason why underprivileged have yet to receive the necessary aid allocated to them. Some corrupt officials have attempted to capitalise on this poverty issue, use it as a facade, before pocketing the benefits. Such behaviour in intolerable, it should be stamped out immediately. What could be done is that a separate entity should be set up to ensure smooth transaction of aid to the underprivileged, to make sure that these people receive the aid that they deserve.
I hope that privileged people would take time to reflect and cherish what they have today, not to take things for granted and always remember that there are people who cannot even afford three basic meals per day. Better still, these people could show sympathy and care,and lend a helping hand to the underprivileged, show them that there is stilll meaning and hope in their lives. This ould be a major driving force in their will to break out of the poverty cycle.
Poverty is affecting the world at a very large scale. Though we could not eradicate it, we can minimize the impact on mankind thorugh our efforts.
Well here is something to ponder: Without poverty, is there any significance of studying and working so hard to earn money? If so, would you agree that poverty is not totally bad?-Hioe William 0919
Indeed, "The Poor will always be with us." is a very strong statement, allowing space for people to believe that the poverty cycle is unlimited.
Though many are attempting to solve the problem of poverty, it seems almost impossible to eradicate this huge problem, especially since many barely take notice of it in their daily lives.
I believe though there can be many efforts to salvage this problem and that we should rectify this problem immediately, it will never be completely gone, with human nature getting in the way ever so often.
While many of us enjoy high standards of living, there are still people around the world suffering from lack of necessities and uncomfortable living conditions. Even though there are too many people for us to lend a hand to, it is still crucial that the well-to-dos try their best to help out as many people as possible. -Miaoxian 0919
William, I would like to respond to a statement you made - "Without poverty, is there any significance of studying and working so hard to earn money? If so, would you agree that poverty is not totally bad?" I do agree with you that some people study and work hard because they do not want to be poor. However, it is difficult to accept that absolute poverty is acceptable. In countries where absolute poverty exists, there is no opportunity for the poor to study nor work, much less to study and work hard. Furthermore, I hope you see an inherent value in studying and working hard.
"The poor will always be with us." After some consideration, I realised i do agree with this statement.
For now, the poor are defined as the people who are living with less than US$1 per day. As such, even if there is a day where everyone are living with sufficient foods and drinking clean water, they definition of poor will be brought up to the next level. For example, people will feel that without leisures and luxury items will be now be considered as poor.
Hence, it is a fact that there will always be poor around us.
WOW. great video. it has made me realize how fortunate i am and how many out there are struggling just to survive. it is truly inspiring and triggers the mind.
ReplyDeleteperhaps this video should be shown world wide, during tv commercial, so that the general public will be able to be inspired by this and it would generate greater awareness about the plight of the others out there.
we may then be able to have a greater response to alleviate the hunger problems out there and ensure that food distribution to different parts of the world is equal.
Cheng Mun 0919
What can I say......The population versus food supply problem has always been here since the first baby boom during the industrialization times. http://www.popline.org/docs/0202/752511.html shows that since 1960, food has been having difficulty in keeping up with the population. Not that I do not want to help these people, but I seriously doubt if our efforts by simply not wasting food would pay off efficiently. The major problem seems not to be wasting but the immense number of people around and nowhere enough bare necessities for everyone. This video is correct to a certain extent, but it still does not come to the root of thr hunger problem in the world.
ReplyDeleteJohn 0927
Thank you, Cheng Mun. I'm so glad you found the short film meaningful. It's always heartening to see the young being more mindful of issues around them and wanting to make the world a better place for all. John, thank you for sharing your views. Perhaps you would like to share your idea of what you think the root problem is and how we can proceed to uproot it.
ReplyDeleteTo say that “the poor will always be with us” is a pessimistic and lack-of-concern way in addressing the poverty issue which actually involves millions of poor people in the world.
ReplyDeleteI think the root cause of poverty lies in the efficiency of government of a country. It is not that I want to place the responsibility on the government, but it is more of a fact that the government has the power in determining the future of their people. A government with good governance has the will and authority to create and maintain policies that lead to long-term development which benefits all their citizens and ensures their needs are met. However, corruption problem has always been the big barrier faced by many countries which prevents the poor from receiving the right treatment, causing them to remain in poverty. Therefore, it is important to have a government which strongly focuses on the well-being of every citizen. The government must put in effort in providing education for their people to ensure their economic survival and the basic necessaries such as clean water supply, sufficient amount of food and housings before the poor can have the ability to start making their own living. I think this is basically what eradicating poverty is about.
There is a proverb that says, “One can’t make bricks without straw”, hence the government must provide the necessary needs and opportunities for the poor to get out of the poverty trap. If such measures are not taken, we will really have to face the problem of having “the poor always being with us”.
Elton Foo (0924)
Although the poor will always be with us may be a hard to change fact, we should not have the mindset that it will forever be that case as this will result in the worsening of the poor's suffering.
ReplyDeleteRicher countries can help poorer countries in their economic development. The richer countries can start by putting in place effective education system to educate the people there. with knowledge, they can find better jobs with higher pay and will not be trapped in the poverty cycle.
I believe no one in this world is deserved to die because he/she is poor. Everyone should at least have the basic neccesities in life. Hence, I hope more help can be given to the poorer countries.
This video is indeed very touching and it made me realised how fortunate I am. Compared to us, who always grumble and complain on the slightest setbacks we have in life, we really have to do some reflections on what is it that we want in life. We should be grateful for what we having now.
Hui Ming 0919
I feel that this is not the way to respond to the problem of poverty in the world. If the world sees poverty as a natural happening, then the world will come to accept it and in turn believe that it is beyond their control. In my opinion, the poor cannot be completely eliminated from the world, however, it doesn't mean that nothing can be done to reduce the difficulties of the poor.
ReplyDeleteThere are poor people in every country. If every leader of the country view the poor as a norm, then they will not even attempt to reduce the sufferings of the poor. The extent of poverty one experiences differs from country to country. Some just can't afford proper housing, while some cannot even afford a meal. This is greatly due to the government policies. If a country makes an effort to reach out the the poor, then, their burden can be lightened. On the other hand, if a country does not bother about the poor, then the poor can only depend on themselves for survival. Hence, the government policies can and will make a difference in the poor's lives.
Apart from government policies, the community also possesses the ability to lighten the burden of the poor. If there are more people willing to help the poor, it will make the world a much better place where the poor will suffer less.
Problems of poverty have been around since the ancient times, it's a problem that is difficult or maybe even impossible to solve. However, we must still put in efforts to improve their situations. Neglecting their problems will only lead to adverse effects and cause more social problems in the society.
I will like to add on regarding the video itself, that the government should educate the people on birth control. I am assuming that the poor in the video are a family. If they have careful family planning, knowing whether they have the ability to provide for another life, then maybe they wouldn't suffer so much.
ReplyDeleteThis video reminds us about the severity of how wide the income gap between the rich and the poor really is. The contrast between the first part and the second part has shown us that while some may afford to waste large amount of food, and living luxurious life, others are barely making ends meet.
ReplyDeleteThis problem might be mainly due to unequal allocation of resources, where the government has chosen to concentrate development in certain areas, neglecting various regions. This caused such a large disparity in income. One example is china, where the central part is relatively poor, as it is neglected due to its lack of resource worth developing, to generate higher returns in future. Whereas, significant amount of money is pumped into parts which are near the sea, as they could generate more income acting as ports. Hence, the poor will continue to be trapped in the poverty cycle.
I feel that the government should try and do something about this problem. Even though there are many international organizations in the world that is trying hard to aid countries such problems, the problem still remains.
For example, the Asian Development Bank which focuses on eradicating poverty by providing funds to countries in the Asia-pacific region and improving the status of women. The World Bank has also played a supportive role in eradicating global poverty and improving the standard of living of the people.
However, despite such help, countries which have been receiving aid for many years are still having low level of economic and human development. Examples would include African nations which have received large amounts of aids from the US and international communities, but have a per capita income remaining below US$500.
This results in over dependence of the less developed countries on such aids, that they may loose the incentive to work themselves. Corrupt governments also prevent such aids from being able to reach the people who really need it. For example, Ethiopia has received over us 1 billion in aid and yet, most of it is spent on military development instead.
I think that in order to alleviate poverty, we should tackle the problem in a more diverse method. Instead of just supplying money to these areas of poverty, we should try to increase the level of education of these people. In this globalized world, only education could secure one with a higher paying job, thus, bring them out of the poverty cycle and into a better standard of living. However, this cannot be implemented fully, as many of the poor do not have the time and energy for studying, as they are expected to help out with their family business such as farming.
Secondly, even though family planning is introduced, the poor health care in the country may prevent the people from controlling their family size. As they would want to give birth more, so that their child has a higher chance of survival. In addition, in countries with low development, the people would be having labour intensive jobs and hence, need more children to help out.
Hence, I feel that poverty will still remain part of the society, and it would be very hard to eradicate it. Furthermore, it requires a lot of effort on the part of the government and the international organizations to help reduce poverty on the whole. Hence it would be too costly and takes too long to be carried out. Tackling such a problem wouldn’t be on the top of a country’s to-do list, if they are already struggling to earn enough revenue to develop other parts of the economy.
-Jasmine Hui 0919
ReplyDeleteHaving a mindset, 'The poor will always be with us' is one which makes people reluctant to deal with the problem of poverty. Its as if 'why help?', when the problem cannot be solved. I feel this is not the way to respond to the problem of poverty. Its true that the problem cannot be completely solved, however its does not mean that there is no way of easing it.
ReplyDeleteThe problem of poverty has been ongoing for centuries, be it being the fault of the government or the individual. Let's observe poverty from the view that poverty is not in a person's control. The root causes of poverty is the ceaseless poverty cycle. It would be hard for a person born poor to improve his/her status in society, as to start of, he/she would not even be able to get the basic education, which is essential in modern society. in such, the government could help by making policies which help end the poverty cycle, such as creating more awareness, making basic education compulsory and providing it for the poor are ways to stop the poverty cycle, thus easing the problem.
I do agree that it is also partly the government's fault if there was corruptions or the poor were being neglected, however its is also impossible for the government to solve the whole problem of poverty.
The community also plays a role in dealing with the problem. Support should be given by the people, and take a more proactive role in this issue, with a do-it-yourself attitude, rather than 'here's some money, now i have done my part'.
Though the problem of poverty is hard, or maybe even impossible, to solve, its is important to never neglect the issue and explore ways to end the poverty cycle.
Jolene
0919
I do not think that is a correct way to respond to the problem of poverty in the world. But I think it is still true as they were unfortunate people since the beginning of the world. We may not be able to clear that population but we can help to reduce the number of unfortunate people. Some people are facing hunger because there is no food on the barren land they are living on. Some are because they have no income as they do not receive education. Therefore, I think a person or a group who has the authority in the country will be able to help the poor efficiently by giving subsidies and making policy. Moreover, the international organizations or developed countries can help the less developed countries to solve such problems.
ReplyDeleteIt is really sad when I watch fortunate people wasting their food while unfortunate people are struggling for a single meal per day. Some people are not aware of such things are happening around the world and people are dying because of famine. Fortunate people are taking things for granted and lightly. I hope they can realize how difficult for unfortunate people to survive and cling to life. I really hope we can help to reduce the number of unfortunate people even there is only a slight success.
In my opinion, i feel that poverty cannot be totally stopped but we can try to minimise it. So i do not think that the way of responding is correct. Not many people are fortunate like us as there are human beings who are dying of starvation every day. As i have said before, although we cannot stop poverty, we could minimise it by equipping the poor with working skills and education. Richer people should help poorer people and developed countries should help developing countries so that poverty is reduced in our world. ~Jeya 0927
ReplyDeleteThis clip definitely serves as a crucial reminder for those of us living in comfort and are taking things for granted in life. It is common to see many amongst us wasting food that may be of ultimate treasure to people living in poverty (such as in the clip). Without proper education on basic hygeine and nutrition, these people are ignorant of what they are actually consuming, simply wanting to fill their stomachs.
ReplyDeleteI believe rather than directly concluding that 'The Poor will always be with us', as the more fortunate beings, we should actually reach out to these group of less fortunate people. Organisations (governmental/non-governmental) should introduce new policies and provide subsidies to aid these less developed countries to overcome the viscious poverty cycle.
Though the process of eradicating poverty may be difficult, I feel that as an individual contribution, we should learn not to waste our food and take things for granted naturally.
-YuQing 0927
I don't think that this is the way to respond to the problem of poverty in the world. Although this statement is true due to the uneven distribution of resources around the world, leading to poverty in some places and prosperity in others, such response seem to convey the message that since the poor will always be with us, no matter what we do, there is no real need in offering help o them.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the government should ensure that its people are out of poverty as they should be taking care of their people's welfare and needs. Furthermore, the thing that the more well-to-do people could do include things such as donations and try not to waste food, as only then it shows that we appreciate what we have and do not take things for granted.
ying ying(0919)
'The poor will always be with us'.
ReplyDeleteThis statement alone shows me a lack of determination to resolve this issue at large. The author could have probably given up trying to solve the issue, thinking 'if we cannnot solve it, why not just take it in our stride? What can we do?' This line of thought underlines the author's desire to submit to whatever that is laid in front of him, making no more effort to reverse the fates of the underprivileged, making this world a more pleasant place to live in.
It is this kind of thinking that poverty levels are escalating. The feelings of helplessness, irresponsibility, nonchalant, selfishness have brought out the worst in all of us. Many could be thinking that it is none of their concern, leave it to humanitarian groups and government to help them out. Humanitarian groups and governments could then blame the public for not doing enough. Insteadd of passing the buck all day long, which will get them nowhere, why not take the initiative to lend a helping hand, it does not have to be a grand gesture. As the saying goes ' a little by everyone goes a long way'
I feel that the root of poverty is education. Lack of education, coupled with poor environmental condititions has made it difficult for the underprivilged to get out of the vicious poverty cycle. Education will equip these people with lifeskills which could help them in their survival in this world, rather than always providing them with material aid, which may cause them to be over-reliant on others for theri own survival. Without education, people could not better react to changes around them, which is often essential for their survival. Without education, people could not fully understand the predicament theyare in and adapt to it. Without education, people will find it hard to communicate and connect to the outside world, which is essential if they want to get out of these harsh environment they live in.
The issue of corruption is also at large, it is also the reason why underprivileged have yet to receive the necessary aid allocated to them. Some corrupt officials have attempted to capitalise on this poverty issue, use it as a facade, before pocketing the benefits. Such behaviour in intolerable, it should be stamped out immediately. What could be done is that a separate entity should be set up to ensure smooth transaction of aid to the underprivileged, to make sure that these people receive the aid that they deserve.
I hope that privileged people would take time to reflect and cherish what they have today, not to take things for granted and always remember that there are people who cannot even afford three basic meals per day. Better still, these people could show sympathy and care,and lend a helping hand to the underprivileged, show them that there is stilll meaning and hope in their lives. This ould be a major driving force in their will to break out of the poverty cycle.
Poverty is affecting the world at a very large scale. Though we could not eradicate it, we can minimize the impact on mankind thorugh our efforts.
Well here is something to ponder: Without poverty, is there any significance of studying and working so hard to earn money? If so, would you agree that poverty is not totally bad?-Hioe William 0919
Indeed, "The Poor will always be with us." is a very strong statement, allowing space for people to believe that the poverty cycle is unlimited.
ReplyDeleteThough many are attempting to solve the problem of poverty, it seems almost impossible to eradicate this huge problem, especially since many barely take notice of it in their daily lives.
I believe though there can be many efforts to salvage this problem and that we should rectify this problem immediately, it will never be completely gone, with human nature getting in the way ever so often.
Brandon Ang
0919
While many of us enjoy high standards of living, there are still people around the world suffering from lack of necessities and uncomfortable living conditions. Even though there are too many people for us to lend a hand to, it is still crucial that the well-to-dos try their best to help out as many people as possible. -Miaoxian 0919
ReplyDeleteWilliam, I would like to respond to a statement you made - "Without poverty, is there any significance of studying and working so hard to earn money? If so, would you agree that poverty is not totally bad?"
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that some people study and work hard because they do not want to be poor. However, it is difficult to accept that absolute poverty is acceptable. In countries where absolute poverty exists, there is no opportunity for the poor to study nor work, much less to study and work hard.
Furthermore, I hope you see an inherent value in studying and working hard.
"The poor will always be with us." After some consideration, I realised i do agree with this statement.
ReplyDeleteFor now, the poor are defined as the people who are living with less than US$1 per day. As such, even if there is a day where everyone are living with sufficient foods and drinking clean water, they definition of poor will be brought up to the next level. For example, people will feel that without leisures and luxury items will be now be considered as poor.
Hence, it is a fact that there will always be poor around us.
WeeJie
0919