So, I was driving the other day and I happened to see a homeless guy. For some reason, I read his sign and my brain processed, "Hottie-less". And I'm thinking, 'Is this guy imitating a homeless guy to try and get a date?' I know that is not what his sign said, but the thought of someone doing that to find a date actually did make me laugh. However, before I got home I saw at least 3 more homeless people holding up signs. I am one person, and can only do so much. Right now, I'm only NOT homeless because of the charity of family. I do not have money for all my groceries, insurance, car payments, cell phone, let alone rent too. I feel for these people. And while I am better off, it's not from any personal wealth I can give. I didn't do anything- truth is, I don't usually. I have never had a full time job, though some of my part-time jobs have been more demanding than others, and I'm in the process of making myself more marketable so hopefully I can get a good-paying full-time job. But I do go home thinking about the homeless, the less-fortunate, the sick, the poor, and several others. How do you decide how much you can give and which ones to give to?
Since being on facebook I have been bombarded with causes: Breast Cancer Awareness (the whole status message thing I usually do- it doesn't cost any money and only takes a brief amount of my time), but then I also get causes like stop abuse of children, stop internet porn, stop this or stop that... many of which I believe in. I don't think child abuse is right, I don't like porn's influence, and many other things. And then there's all the diseases, leukemia, diabetes, those who are disabled.... I doubt I've been invited to all the causes and charities out there, and I've probably gotten over 100 invites to different ones. I think I've mentioned not being well off, but there are those who are worse than me, but there is no way that I can donate to every cause, no matter how noble they are. So how do I choose?
Well, first off, my Church has a great Humanitarian Aid Program- 100% of the proceeds go to helping those less fortunate and helping out with natural disasters. They were the first on the scene after Katrina, they are there with every major natural disaster and I would say all of the minor ones where people need help. People volunteer their time out of the goodness of their hearts. Donating time where maybe they don't have money, to donate to a noble cause of helping those in need. Items and materials are donated. I donate to that when I can. Sometimes it is only a few cents at a time (sporadic babysitting doesn't always bring in much money) but I know that every cent goes to the cause I believe in and reaches out to people that I can't travel to, to help.
Then there's the Red Cross. Sometimes they are helping where my Church's Humanitarian Aid is also helping. They have some overhead costs, but 95% of your money goes to the cause you are supporting, the other 5% enables the fund to continue, so still worth it.
Then there are countless others. My Mom donates to a Research Fund on Diabetes- my brother was diagnosed with it when he was 4 1/2 and it is a personal cause for us. But I don't invite others to support it too, because they aren't affected by it the way my family has been. It doesn't mean the same thing. There are times when all the secondary causes are worth investing in, but if our funds are low we always have a portion of our time. Sometimes it seems like we don't have any time, but we can always make a little time, or donate old clothes to Goodwill or a similar charity, there is always some small service we can do for those around us, no matter how bad off we may feel we are.
Other Articles and Links:
Children help Children Through Humanitarian Aid Donations
What You Can Do
Our Values (a video on the Latter-day Saints' Humanitarian Aid Program)
Humanitarian Aid Patterns- patterns for projects and crafts you can do to help those in need
Latter-Day Saints Charities- specific causes where 100% of your money goes to the specific cause, the general fund is the Humanitarian Aid Fund, where proceeds go where needed- to natural disasters or any other humanitarian effort, but it ALL goes to helping those less fortunate
I have seen the benefit of the Church's programs. I have an Uncle who is a dentist and goes to South America providing dental work to those who need it. It's a small group- called Ayuda, and I was privileged to get to go with them when they went to a small town called La Abundancia in the Chaco region of Paraguay. The Church had notified my Uncle of these people, how they have had to move from their original lands because of a river changing and tribes fighting over the new geography of the land. The Church had already bought them the land where they were when I went, and built them a Church (they all happened to be members of the same Church) and a school. Their houses were very small and they were so poor. Over half of their children die when they switch from drinking their mother's milk to drinking the water in the town- because the water isn't that great. The next thing the Church was planning on doing was building a water tower, to keep the water clean from the elements and a purifying system. They had little food, yet there were times when they offered us food. Sometimes taking a roll they had saved would be taking their meal, possibly their only meal of the day.
Anyways, being among them, they served us- with smiles, with stories and testimonies of surviving trials and hardships and being willing to share the little they had with us. No matter what our situation, we always have something to give, whether it is our time or our money, or just a smile, or a story/testimony of merely surviving trials and hardships, sometimes we do more than survive, but there is always something to share, something we can give to uplift or brighten someone else's day. I try to remember to look for opportunities to serve, even when it is not as big as donating money to various causes and charities, small things matter too.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Kony: some Criticisms examined; give Russell a break for the arrest, and Decide for yourself
So, 'Kony 2012'. I've watched the video on facebook. I found it moving. I didn't donate or do anything really. I have mixed feelings about things like this. First off, America has a reputation for not caring about the rest of the world- and in that case I'm proud to say that America IS paying attention- at least to certain things- and sure, why not start with the worst guy on the list of international 'bad guys', to put it simply. At the same time, how many of the people involved in helping ignore signs of depression and poverty and crimes against humanity in our own communities, or in our state, or just our country. I have seen many in my life who are destitute, or are victims of violent crimes- what do I do to help them? Well honestly, I can't say- I try to be friendly, whether I'm aware of a situation or not. I try to reach out to those in need. I try to listen when someone needs to talk. If I'm aware of other actions that are needed I try and look for them, but honestly I don't know how well I do.
Some criticisms of Kony 2012 include the mention of the video saying one of its purposes is to raise awareness and to contact congressmen so that we can keep the United States in Uganda, when people in Uganda say he isn't IN Uganda anymore. So why are we sending an army to Uganda to catch someone NOT THERE? Should he be stopped? Yes. Do people who have suffered because of him want justice? Yes. But send people to get him where he is, not where he is not. (There's a video from a girl who was affected by Kony and her reaction to Kony 2012 HERE).
Then there is the question of the groups finances. How much that is donated is actually going TO the cause? I heard one statistic that I haven't yet verified saying 30 cents for ever dollar... So if you donate $100- only $30 goes to help arrest Kony. An article on CNN says: "Actress Mia Farrow, a good will ambassador for UNICEF who has visited areas attacked by the LRA, commended Invisible Children for bringing "unprecedented focus" to a horrific situation but urged people to donate money to agencies like the Red Cross and UNICEF that work to help victims." ( Article is titled: "Group behind anti-Kony video rebuts criticism, urges public pressure" (title is a link to actual article)) Whatever the actual percentage of money going to the cause- it is NOT 100%. It is spending all of its efforts to try and capture Kony, yet in the video itself it mentions that Kony seems to have gone into hiding and is said to be changing his tactics. Shouldn't that makes us more wary of what we do publicly? Sure, it's fine for us, he's still in Africa- what can he do to us? But what can he do to the people in some village perhaps 30 minutes away from him? What if we have some psycho who will massacre thousands just to create a diversion to escape? I am more for helping the victims through funds like the Red Cross. I want him arrested, but how do we know if the methods of Kony 2012 are the best?
Create awareness- yes. Post it to your facebook wall? Sure. People need to be aware of what is happening in the world. But think about the cause before donating. Do YOU agree in the cause AND its methods? If so, great, I support you in your donations. In the financial world you can invest money in many different ways- there are safer, conservative ways that almost guarantee a return of your money and maybe some interest and those that are more risky and may produce the desired result and may fail due to unforeseen circumstances. Some people like those risks- it fits their personalities. For me though, I think I'll stick to the Red Cross and a few other ones I trust to get the job done that I invest in.
As for the director being arrested. His family say he has never had a drinking problem or a drug problem. The fact remains- he was creating a public disturbance, acting kinda crazy, and was said to be drunk and possibly under another influence. Here's the thing: THIS guy BELIEVES in his cause. It is PERSONAL to him. He wants to see Kony receive justice. I agree with him. He believes his methods will work. Yet people publicly criticize his work- what he has dedicated so much of himself to. If you cared about something that much, wouldn't you be stressed if people publicly criticized it? I know I've done a little of that here. But what I'm saying is- he's human. If he was dehydrated and sleep-deprived, and hadn't eaten, he could've gone for a drink and ended up with alcohol poisoning. That doesn't mean he has a problem with drinking- it means one mistake. Publicly humiliating? Yeah. But I don't think many people alive could bear as much criticism as he is about something they care about as much and not react to it. People all react differently- some eat more, some won't eat. Some will have a drink, others with problems might go further. Either way, give the guy a break.
His video saying we want to keep the US in Uganda. Maybe they say that to keep the army close enough to act without publicizing their plans too much. If so, I would agree with that tactic to protect more of the people he is likely to be able to hurt. The money doesn't all go to the arrest of Kony- true, but some of it goes to the cost of furthering awareness. To get more money, isn't awareness a must? Maybe they took it too far, but I believe he is doing his best for a cause he believes in, the way he thinks is best. If you agree- then by all means, support Kony 2012. If not, I still think you should help spread some awareness of Kony 2012. If we can start showing mutual support in going after the "bad guys" we can one day, make a huge difference.
Other articles worth reading:
Kony 2012 Video (actual Youtube Video)
'Kony 2012' director Russell not on drugs or drinking, family says
Opinion: Why Kony 2012 created the wrong buzz
Man behind 'Kony 2012' arrested- for masturbating in public
Kony 2012: Viral video for the misinformed?
Some criticisms of Kony 2012 include the mention of the video saying one of its purposes is to raise awareness and to contact congressmen so that we can keep the United States in Uganda, when people in Uganda say he isn't IN Uganda anymore. So why are we sending an army to Uganda to catch someone NOT THERE? Should he be stopped? Yes. Do people who have suffered because of him want justice? Yes. But send people to get him where he is, not where he is not. (There's a video from a girl who was affected by Kony and her reaction to Kony 2012 HERE).
Then there is the question of the groups finances. How much that is donated is actually going TO the cause? I heard one statistic that I haven't yet verified saying 30 cents for ever dollar... So if you donate $100- only $30 goes to help arrest Kony. An article on CNN says: "Actress Mia Farrow, a good will ambassador for UNICEF who has visited areas attacked by the LRA, commended Invisible Children for bringing "unprecedented focus" to a horrific situation but urged people to donate money to agencies like the Red Cross and UNICEF that work to help victims." ( Article is titled: "Group behind anti-Kony video rebuts criticism, urges public pressure" (title is a link to actual article)) Whatever the actual percentage of money going to the cause- it is NOT 100%. It is spending all of its efforts to try and capture Kony, yet in the video itself it mentions that Kony seems to have gone into hiding and is said to be changing his tactics. Shouldn't that makes us more wary of what we do publicly? Sure, it's fine for us, he's still in Africa- what can he do to us? But what can he do to the people in some village perhaps 30 minutes away from him? What if we have some psycho who will massacre thousands just to create a diversion to escape? I am more for helping the victims through funds like the Red Cross. I want him arrested, but how do we know if the methods of Kony 2012 are the best?
Create awareness- yes. Post it to your facebook wall? Sure. People need to be aware of what is happening in the world. But think about the cause before donating. Do YOU agree in the cause AND its methods? If so, great, I support you in your donations. In the financial world you can invest money in many different ways- there are safer, conservative ways that almost guarantee a return of your money and maybe some interest and those that are more risky and may produce the desired result and may fail due to unforeseen circumstances. Some people like those risks- it fits their personalities. For me though, I think I'll stick to the Red Cross and a few other ones I trust to get the job done that I invest in.
As for the director being arrested. His family say he has never had a drinking problem or a drug problem. The fact remains- he was creating a public disturbance, acting kinda crazy, and was said to be drunk and possibly under another influence. Here's the thing: THIS guy BELIEVES in his cause. It is PERSONAL to him. He wants to see Kony receive justice. I agree with him. He believes his methods will work. Yet people publicly criticize his work- what he has dedicated so much of himself to. If you cared about something that much, wouldn't you be stressed if people publicly criticized it? I know I've done a little of that here. But what I'm saying is- he's human. If he was dehydrated and sleep-deprived, and hadn't eaten, he could've gone for a drink and ended up with alcohol poisoning. That doesn't mean he has a problem with drinking- it means one mistake. Publicly humiliating? Yeah. But I don't think many people alive could bear as much criticism as he is about something they care about as much and not react to it. People all react differently- some eat more, some won't eat. Some will have a drink, others with problems might go further. Either way, give the guy a break.
His video saying we want to keep the US in Uganda. Maybe they say that to keep the army close enough to act without publicizing their plans too much. If so, I would agree with that tactic to protect more of the people he is likely to be able to hurt. The money doesn't all go to the arrest of Kony- true, but some of it goes to the cost of furthering awareness. To get more money, isn't awareness a must? Maybe they took it too far, but I believe he is doing his best for a cause he believes in, the way he thinks is best. If you agree- then by all means, support Kony 2012. If not, I still think you should help spread some awareness of Kony 2012. If we can start showing mutual support in going after the "bad guys" we can one day, make a huge difference.
Other articles worth reading:
Kony 2012 Video (actual Youtube Video)
'Kony 2012' director Russell not on drugs or drinking, family says
Opinion: Why Kony 2012 created the wrong buzz
Man behind 'Kony 2012' arrested- for masturbating in public
Kony 2012: Viral video for the misinformed?
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