The Life You Can Save by Alexander Green
Philosopher Peter Singer has a question for you.
As you are walking to work, you pass a small pond and see a toddler splashing along the shoreline. As you get closer, you notice that the child isn't playing. She is struggling frantically to keep from drowning. There are no other adults around. Would you jump in to save her, even if it meant you'd have to change your clothes and be late for work?
"Of course," you reply. "The life of a child is far more important than arriving at work on time."
But let's say you were wearing a pair of expensive shoes. Would you still jump in to save her, even if it meant ruining your shoes?
"What kind of question is that?" you ask. "Who wouldn't sacrifice a pair of expensive shoes to save the life of a child?"
Hold onto that sense of outrage for a minute. You're going to need it.
According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), every year 9.7 million children under five die easily preventable deaths.
That's over 1,100 every hour of every day.Some of these children die because they don't have enough to eat, others from easily treatable conditions like malaria, measles or diarrhea. This is not only an immense tragedy but a moral stain on a world as rich as ours.
The World Bank reports that 1.4 billion men and women around the world currently live on less than $1.25 a day. A survey of over 60,000 of them in 73 countries found that extreme poverty like this means:
* You probably live in an unstable house, made of mud or thatch that is liable to collapse in severe weather.
* You lack adequate food, education, clothing, sanitation, and health care.
* You often eat one meal a day, sometimes having to choose between stilling your child's hunger or your own.
* You have no safe drinking water. (Or you may need to carry your water a long way and, even then, it may not be safe until you boil it.)
* If a family member becomes ill and you need money to see a doctor, you may have to borrow from a moneylender who charges usurious rates - and you may never be free of the debt.
* You have a pervading sense of powerlessness, misery and shame because you cannot provide adequately for your family.
In the West, we tend to think we're living a morally good life if we aren't doing anything to hurt anyone else. But what are we doing to alleviate the suffering of others?
It's not just a matter of ethics. It's a matter of conscience.
Giving to the poor is a tenet of every major faith. The Hebrew word for "charity," tzedakah, means "justice," suggesting that
giving to the poor is not optional but an essential part of living a just life.The Bible contains over three thousand references to alleviating poverty, making this a central moral issue for Christians. Jesus said it is how we act toward "the least of these brothers of mine" that will determine whether we inherit the kingdom of God.
Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, visited South Africa a few years ago and came across a tiny church operating from a dilapidated tent and sheltering twenty-five children orphaned by AIDS. He said it was "like a knife through the heart: I realized they were doing more for the poor than my entire megachurch."
He later added, "I couldn't care less about politics, the culture wars. My only interest is to get people to care about Darfurs and Rwandas."
Americans are charitable people. Studies show that we give around 2.2 percent of our gross national income. That's significantly more than any other country, and about double the level of charitable giving in most other rich nations. Seventy percent of U.S. households made some form of gift to charity in 2007.
Most of us tend to give to our local communities - and that's good. But poverty is a different animal here. Ninety-seven percent of those classified as poor by the U.S. Census Bureau own a color TV. Three quarters own a car. Three quarters own a VCR or DVD player. Three quarters live in an air-conditioned home. Obesity is epidemic.
This is not the kind of poverty that kills 18 million people annually. Every day, over a billion men, women and children around the world are not having their most basic human needs met. Singer estimates that the cost of raising someone from extreme poverty to a self-sustaining existence is less than $200.
We all know the common objections to international aid. Some are concerned about what happens when a generally inept government gives money to a thoroughly corrupt one overseas. (Nobody wants his money to wind up in some kleptocrat's bank account.) In the past, a lot of official aid has been misconceived and misdirected. And I don't argue with those who claim that the long-term solution is trade, not aid.
But it is possible to reduce misery and suffering without involving a government agency - and without having to worry that your donation breeds dependency.
The non-profit Grameen Foundation, for example, is fighting world poverty with micro-credit. It makes millions of tiny loans to the world's poorest people (especially women), with a 97% repayment rate. The money allows them buy seeds, start a business, pay a doctor or cope with a family emergency. It helps lift them out of poverty and lead lives of respect, dignity and opportunity. For more information, click here.
Occasionally, I write about the
International Rescue Committee (IRC) and its mission. Founded by Albert Einstein, the IRC serves refugees and communities victimized by oppression or violent conflict. When thousands run from natural disasters, war or repression, the IRC is there, providing food and water, shelter, healthcare and education.
Both Grameen and the IRC are highly efficient, top-rated charities. Donations are fully tax-deductible.
A couple of years ago, I wrote a column about the IRC and provided a link to its website. I have no idea how many readers chose to donate, but I was gratified that so many wrote to tell me they did.
A few weeks later, I received a letter from a wealthy gentleman who was in the middle of updating his estate plan. After investigating the IRC and its fine work, he arranged to make them the beneficiary of nearly half his estate. That news made my day.
Of course, I couldn't have told him about the IRC if my cousin Judith hadn't encouraged me to become a donor years ago. And she wouldn't have told me if her friend Mach hadn't gotten her involved. You never know the far-reaching effect your words may have, especially if they stir someone's conscience.
These are tough economic times, I know. But we all spend money every day on things that we would hardly miss if they were gone. In The Life You Can Save, Peter Singer writes, "Do you have a bottle of water of a can of soda beside you? If you are paying for something to drink when safe drinking water comes out of the tap, you have money to spend on things you don't really need. Around the world, a billion people struggle to live each day on less than you paid for that drink. You can help them."
Does it make sense to care about the drowning child in front of you but not about the dying child in a distant country? If we visited these people and saw their plight with our own eyes - as some of you have - I know our hearts would break and our wallets would open.
So this may be a good time to ask yourself: What ought I be doing to help?
If you feel impelled to give generously, I salute you. At the very least, you probably felt a bit of outrage at the idea that you wouldn't sacrifice a pair of expensive shoes to save someone's life.
Here's an opportunity:
www.theirc.orgSource: Spiritual Wealth
It's all about "how much you made when you were right" & "how little you lost when you were wrong"