Guest post by Shawn Dall, author of I AM GOD
I get it – there is poverty in the world. We all see it, and we all feel guilty about it. We have all these resources in the world and some starve and we turn a blind eye because we really don’t know what to do.
Some of us donate money to eliminate our guilt, and don’t think much of where that money goes – often to corporations that pocket much of it and the result is dismal for those that need it. Every charity organization is first and foremost a business, and they capitalize on a portion of the proceeds.
Other times actual food is provided to these areas, and pirates come, take the food by force, and then force the populace to buy it from them by hoarding. The urge to profit always seems to supersede the need for charity.
Other times those who receive the charity become dependent on it, and seem to no longer be able to provide for themselves. The issue of poverty is not something that can simply be addressed – the regional politics usually interfere, because the government in the area does not want to live in poverty, but does not care if the locals do.
This causes dictatorships and taxes in which the poor are kept poor and ignorant while the masters of these regions profit.
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So what is the solution? Education is one. There are entire areas that are being farmed so inefficiently they are turning what could be farmable land into deserts simply by taxing the land due to lack of knowledge.
Animals are needed to pound vegetation and their dung into the ground, which allows for retaining of water in the ground, which allows downpours to be retained in the ground instead of causing floods in dry cracked earth, and allows for new plants to gain a foothold. This process has been done with much success over the past few years – in places where barely any vegetation is left this has allowed for entire ecosystem regions to recover.
Other solutions are to rotate what you plant so when it decomposes it adds vital nutrients to the soil – or change regions to plant the same crops and rotate that way so the other regions can recover. The Celts used to do this with 4 patches of land – reflected n the Celtic cross.
Providing stable infrastructure is another solution. One has to look at the corruption level of the government and determine if any help will actually be long term, or if it will simply collapse when the humanitarian effort pulls out to focus on another area.
It is like the trellis for the vine to grow along – even if this involves political re-alignment or allowing the people to have more of a voice and a say in regional matters. Make sure access to clean water is maintained and erosion of soil is halted by terracing – proper tilling and respect of land is also of utmost importance.
Making sure the people are self-reliant and teach their own people is also of paramount importance. For decades these people HAVE survived, whether that was well or not is up for debate, but they survived – we must respect their cultures and help them in ways that further promote this, while also dealing with superstitions, shamanic practices, gender inequality – changes happen slow, and some don’t happen at all. Education and supportive infrastructure go a long way in helping a people become self reliant – charities should be guides, not crutches.
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A proper king does not seek to rule over ignorant subjects – but seeks to elevate all to the status and wisdom of kings, so that all my help rule alongside them.
Education and empowerment and self reliance are the enemies of dictators and the solutions to poverty – not sending an endless humanitarian attempt to patch a poverty hole, which gets whittled down by the time it gets there – everyone has the potential to survive wherever they are, with some simple knowledge cues – man has survived in the desert – in the arctic and up in the mountains – cooperation and sharing between tribes and sharing of resources is also paramount.
We have to stop thinking that the people we help are helpless to help themselves – they just are unsure of how – give them the knowledge and guide them along it though and they will be eternally grateful. Keep them within their cultures and don’t convince them the only way they won’t be poor is to move away – keep the change in the region and watch as it blossoms into something you never even imagined!
In the end the solution is always spiritual – you must see everyone as interconnected, and all as being able to provide something to help everyone else – knowledge, talents, love. Rich or poor, we are all people, and all worthy of the same level of respect. Respect should be a reflection of earned actions, not a caste system of wealth.
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Books by Shawn Dall
I AM GOD ~ View on Bookshelves | View on Amazon