It seems that many have retreated to their comfortable lives and given up on helping others who may have come from a different circumstance than their own."Why should I care about them" seems to be the common response.
Really... you shouldn't care.
Someone once said, "The best thing you can do for the poor is to not be one of them.".
I never liked that saying,
but for some it makes sense.
Lifeguards are taught to save themselves (first) when attempting to rescue a drowning person.
Why?
Because if the lifeguard drowns, they both drown.
On airplanes, parents are told to first place their masks on their faces and then to place their children's masks.
Why?
Because if the parent passes out they won't be able to save their children.
It would seem that being selfish can be in the best interest of all involved in a situation.
Earlier, I attempted to use Entanglement Theory as a metaphor for caring about the poor.
But that was stretching it.
Let's use the Butterfly Effect instead.
So why should you care about the poor or their conditions?
- Because these same poor will be the ones who may rob you at your local upscale mall as you walk to your car with your purchases from Valentino.
- Because these poor will lower the average of your town's school ratings and hinder your town's ability to attract better businesses.
- Because these poor will be the ones serving you as you dine on your Ahi or lamb chops and mint at Ruth's Chris.
- Because these same poor will be beating up your children at the local schools.
- Because these same poor will prey on your children to buy drugs from them.
- Because these poor are a drain on your taxes.
- Because eliminating the the culture of the poor will make it easier for you to safely go about your day-to-day lives.
You shouldn't care about those who have less than yourself - not unless you care about yourself.
11 comments:
I'm glad you know the right name the Butterfly Effect. I used to tell people it's the don't get killed effect.
You keep everyone poor and ignorant someday they are going to come after you. When you park your car, when you are in drive-thru, when you are walking down the street at night, when you are eating Sunday dinner and when you run in the morning.
It's in all of our best interest to raise the level of bottom. Because those with no HOPE have no FEAR!
If only I could convince Von.
YEah, maybe I got too much Kumbaya in me (that was for you FreeMan), but it shouldn't need to take fear to help the poor.
Maybe it is as simple as doing the right thing.
Anyone claiming Christianity has an obligation to help the poor, as I would assume a Muslim, or a utilitarian agnostic, shares the same obligation.
@ brohammas - True. But many have the WIIFM? (What's in it for me?) mind set.
Nice Blog J ;-)
first time seeing it.
You know what getts me is, I can write a post about titts or some other BS and get a bunch of responses.
But let me write a post on World Hunger or ANYthing serious and get ZERO responses, clicks or whatever.
Dasd Manm, very Sad.
Anyway, keep up the good work! -I am switching over to Word press in about a month. Feel like I want to step it up a bit.
Besos
the WIIFM syndrome is part of what divides black and white.
Empowering black community, in the minds of white people, is no different from Darfur, climate change, Rwanda, saving the Amazon, or any other "cause" that they may pick and choose where to get involved. Compton or Peru.... which should I choose to help?
In black minds, empowering the black community is relevent to daily life. The WIIFM question is easy to answer.
Many white people do not intend to ignore black issues, they are simply sending care packages to Tsunami victims.
@UBJ - You convince Von then you will be a national hero. For now she is 24 and haven't seen too much so I'll giver her a pass. I just like to debate sometimes especially since I don't do the Press anymore.
@Brohammas - Thanks for the kumbaya but hey let's update it to the coke commercial where they hold hands. That's what I envision! LOL
Fear works but people get tired of being scared. So it actually brings a harsh form of animosity. The bigger issue is people don't see the connection. Now I don't care to be surrounded by whites but I'll give a white guy a buck because being poor is f*cked up period. I gave a white woman and her kids money at the supermarket and my boy looked at me like I was nuts and I said God Damn it I ain't evil.
The WIIFM people just don't get that there isn't anything in it for them to gain period. So why do I give because I have it to give and I don't ask for a reward from someone who needs the money more than me. No moral reason, no religious reason just I got it to give and here you go.
So maybe the real issue is who told them there's something in it for them in the first place. Maybe the whole strategy is wrong from the beginning. So if giving is like dropping money in the Salvation Army bucket maybe there's no connection to why you should give. Maybe it's like paying taxes to the WIIFM people!
Von will be in for a rude awakening if she doesn't humble herself and open her eyes! Your blog is on her blogroll but I don't think she reads your blog. I think the ghetto people she is around all the time is at her job. I wonder where she works. Keep up the good work john!
@ FreeMan - Yeah well... Von will learn one way or another.
Maybe it'll take a few incidents where her assumed status will no longer shelter her from being treated like those she hates.
@ brohammas - "...empowering the Black community is relevant in daily life."
This was really posted in responce to a Black blogger.
I was attempting to point out that helping the "least of these" is really helping oneself. (Regardless of race.)
@ Anon. - Judging by her inability to properly use; "supposed", "used", "mine", etc. - I doubt that she really reads much of anything.
She says that she was raised middle-class but her lack of understanding and that she has little command of language or tense suggests that she was really just slightly better than those she seems to hate.
But as FreeMan says, she's still young and she will learn.
At the end of the day - she has no effect on my day-to-day life.
@UBJ - You're grading people like a English teacher now? LMBAO. She got a lot to say but needs to spend a bit more time arranging her thoughts. It took me a while and I still jump all over the place.
I had a friend who told me sometimes I speak and write like I'm not that educated. I told him if I wrote the Kings English and spoke that way you wouldn't listen to anything I have to say. He laughed and said I'm bilingual, I said NOPE I'm Black!
@ FreeMan - No, not at all.
But if people are going to put others down for their lack of sophistication - they should at least possess some themselves.
It's just judging others by the same measure they judge.
It's not as though she is attempting to write collooqually. She just seems to assume that she is better.
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