Why don't we care?

What is it with the world in general that people maintain a great amount of indiference towards social issues such as poverty in other countries?

The great gods of money, TV, and shopping - opium of the massess - take over from compassion, and action. Ann

The reason that we do not care is that it is not our fault.

If my neighbor did not bother to study in school and get a good job and now is "poor" - what should I do for him? Nothing. It is his doing. It was his decisions that got him into the situation that he is in. Similarly the poor of Africa are not my concern because I did nothing to make them poor.

Why spend my energy in fruitless endeavors? Nothing that I do will change their situation. They have to do it for themselves. Their society needs to change - including government and economic systems. I can't do that.

They must not be hungry enough if they do not want to make the changes themselves.
Life must be "good enough".

If everyone thought the same as you Zozo, there would be no hope for the world. Ann

Sorry for being a realist.

Unfortunately , poverty breeds poverty , and liberal states that put the poverty-stricken on the dole without truly offering incentives to get off the dole simply enable more poverty . Programs to educate and train welfare people for jobs are poorly designed and hardly ever work . Many times the welfare check is more than a person can make with limited skills and knowledge .
I have been told that it is easier to stay on welfare than to attempt to rise out of it .
Opportunities for education and training in the US are abundant , but a person has to have the will to learn ; many don't have that will .

I agree Curmudgeon a large section of society has been spoon fed for so long they lack the will power to do anything for themself except scream it's the "Governments Job" to pay for this that and the other thing. In a democratic country the skys the limit, if you have the desire to succeed.

'Spoon feeding' people is what the powers that be do best, and a ploy for crowd control. It keeps people just over the fed and watered line, allows then a few luxuries like cell phones and TV's and an old banger of a car, and they are 'grateful' and vote for those who keep them teetering just above the poverty line. It's simply a political move to keep the masses down and controlled and voting for them.

Bit like the Roman Games - the Senate gave them these at the weekend, and free bread and wine to go along with their free seat, whilst they were 'entertained' with mass murder, and went home, sated, happy and content with their rulers - and worked hard the following week.

OLD PLOY - we should recognise it by now!

It's easier for most people to not bother - the hard choice is to rise up and above -

Ann

Couldn't agree with you more Ann.

I find this funny coming from a man that is ripping all us computer users off in a major way by creating a monoplistic market practice which produces an inferior product at a high price. Why do you think he has billions and billions? Now he tries to make himself out to be a philantropist. Ha ha ha


To hell in a handbasket? No way, Bill Gates saysglobeandmail.com: To hell in a handbasket? No way, Bill Gates says

"What is it with the world in general that people maintain a great amount of indiference towards social issues such as poverty in other countries? Is there an especific reason for our lack of concern?"

The human vice of self-interest. It's an outgrowth of Man's original sin. It prevents him from doing the right thing over and over again. It's the root-cause of many social sins, if not all. :no:

There is no we. There are many generous individuals maybe even the majority and much good is done by some government inspired by individuals and groups of individuals. When all individuals are valued regardless of their power and some way of enforcing that idea is discovered then changes will begin.
What is required is some acknowledgement that we are all one race of beings and that the strong do NOT have a right to rule anyone but themselves.

I would assume we don't care because it doesn't affect us, basically.

Man is corrupt. He is weak and cruel. He can't rise above his nature without Christ.

To effect a change in society we need to put the power back into the hands of the voting people/public and take away the power from Big Business and Corporations.

I sense you mean well, but democracy is a joke, and a cruel one at that. American democracy is manipulated by so many evil forces today, it has become self-destructive to the citizenry.

Americans are on the verge of electing two monsters to serve in the highest offices of the land, while American soldiers and Marines fight, kill, get wounded and die on fields of strife overseas. Where is the loyalty to our troops? Where is the commitment of the 'PEOPLE' to our nation's war effort? HAVE WE BECOME A STUPID NATION?:no:

Oh yes Pinochet, you are absolutely right, America is the worst country in the world. America is a joke and evil. The other countries of the world must be so much better!
Give me a break! A Stupid Nation? I suppose a Christian led government would be better? Perhaps abdicate all governing power to the Pope or maybe Billy Graham? What a disaster that would be!
The fact that an opposing party can take over the congress or the Presidency in any given election is what makes this country great. To have that balance is crucial. The only way that we could make this a truely stupid nation would be to put religious leaders in charge. That way they could make the molesting of children by priests, legal!

Only a lost nation would elect a representative of its ENEMY to the second-highest office of the land. The significance of 911 has VANISHED in the thinking of America's citizenry. If you can't see that, you are part of the problem, and what you consider 'great', therefore, must be EVIL or INSANE. :no:

Right on Mark, I think that you are totally on the right track. I really don't know why the governments of all these other countries that don't have poverty don't do anything about ending poverty. Like I found out a couple days ago that the United States spends around $40 000 000 on just CIGARETTES alone! I was utterly disgusted to hear about this. And just today I was watching T.V. when I saw that France spent $10 000 000 000 on just ONE AIRPLANE!!! You don't even need that much money to end poverty in Africa. All of these people have all these different kinds of diseases and they don't even have clean water, but there are still children that are too thirsty to care that the water is contaminated; and they drink straight from the river. Everyday in Kenya, mothers have to take 4 trips a day to a dirty river and carry heavy barrels of water all the way back to their villages (which is a two hour walk there and a most likely longer walk back) And you know what? they have to carry these using rope and bandannas around their HEADS to be able to carry them!

Like many of said, we dont care because it does not effect us. But what about all the organizations that spend millions if not more on helping other nations. What about all the monies that we the people donate to various organizations and they send it to a third world country. How do we make sure that OTHER countries do not exploit our gifts? The world is a sad place. Even the people of Africa are selfish them selves. You cannot deny that right now a child is being brought into the world in a village in the middle of no where with a massive drought, little to no food to be had and half of the village has AIDs. You do not need a ivy league education to figure out that this is a horrible decision. That this tiny child will probably die before it is a year old.

It makes me sad, all the pain and suffering in this world it really does. But, honestly I have to look after my own self and my family. Yes I do have a few vices, I do spend some money on stupid trivial crap but who does not? If you do not I have a lot of respect for you.

The world is full of wicked people who are only interested to aquiring things for them selves. Even some Christians got caught up in this way of life which Timothy had to address.

1 Timothy 6:10 (KJV)
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

money:Philargyria: avarice

Those who are wise in what is right are interested in those who are less fortunate, but the wicked do not.

Proverbs 29:7 (KJV)
7 The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.

The Devil, Satan is the one which the world as a whole believes don't exist, is the one who has deceive mankind into believing that self interest is better than putting our fellow man first. But thanks to God, one day his reign of terror will come to an end.


Revelation 12:9 (KJV)
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Human beings have advanced so much in technology, especially in the last 100 years. Yet with all this our world is no closer to peace, eradicating poverty or setting up a just government on the earth. Human beings by nature are corrupt, and like a crooked ruler, that a carpenter would use to make a straight line, he knows that it is utterly useless and is only fit to be tossed in the garbage. Corrupt human beings cannot create a just world, because that is against our nature. Their have never been a nation, past or present that have truly been just. So the only solution to this world's problem is the return of Jesus, who is more than capable to create such a world.