Tag Archives: poverty and homelessness

Happiness???

Posted on by under Economic issues, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Social commentary

I don’t pay much attention to fools and idiots, but some comments I read by Jeanine Pirro a few days ago took my mind down a path that I want to share with you.  Here’s what she said …

“The people who want us to be petrified that the world is coming to an end — and I think according to some it should already have come to an end — they just want to make sure that we live a minimalist life while they prosper based upon all the money they make from the green energy bill that was touted as the Inflation Reduction Act. And, you know, while we suffer, they don’t want us to have gas stoves, they don’t want us to have fans, they don’t want us to have gas cars and they are just interested in making sure that we’re as miserable as possible. You shouldn’t be eating meat. You shouldn’t be doing anything that we’re doing.”

As I said, I don’t pay much mind to Jeanine Pirro and others of her ilk, but here’s the thing … I’ve heard similar views coming from average, everyday people … people I know personally, people I once thought were intelligent, decent human beings.  Does happiness really depend on owning a gas stove?  One friend acted as if her life was shattered because her new living room furniture was delivered late.  Really???  And the bigger question:  is individual, momentary happiness really more important than saving the environment for all life on Planet Earth?

I remember a long-ago conversation with a friend … I don’t remember the gist of the conversation or what started it, but I plainly remember her saying, “All I want is to be happy.  I have the right to be happy.”

And then there was an interview several years ago, I believe it was televangelist Jim Bakker being interviewed, where when the interviewer asked how he justified his wealth and spending it on such frivolities as private planes, responded that “God wants me to be happy.”  My jaw dropped when I read that.

I find this emphasis on ‘happiness’ a bit off-putting.  Or perhaps it’s in how these people define happiness.  I always liked the Charlie Brown version of happiness …

If happiness requires that you own a gas stove, drive a gas-guzzling SUV, fly to Vegas on vacation, have a jumbo television, and leave a carbon footprint that could be mistaken for Bigfoot’s, then perhaps your priorities are a bit skewed.  We all share this planet … there is no “America First”, there are 8 billion people on the planet, all of whom need breathable air, potable water, sufficient healthy food, and shelter.  How can anyone be ‘happy’ knowing that a large portion of those 8 billion people have no need of a gas stove because they have no food to cook on it?   Oh, and by the way, Jeanine Pirro’s net worth is approximately $14 million … but still she says she’s “suffering”?  Maybe she would like to spend a week living out of a cardboard box on the streets to see what ‘suffering’ actually looks like.

Humans like to brag about their “big brains”, how those brains have enabled them to invent so many wonderful things, but what they fail to realize is most of those inventions, such as airplanes, automobiles, electrical appliances, etc., are contributing to the demise of life on the planet.

I stopped worrying about “happiness” decades ago and learned to settle for contentedness.  Happiness is a moving target and I fail to see how anyone could be happy knowing that just a few miles away, people do not have enough food to eat, or knowing that in another 20 years, their own offspring may struggle for their very survival.

If Ms. Pirro and many others don’t believe that the earth’s environment is on the brink, don’t believe the scientists’ warnings, then perhaps they haven’t stepped outside lately or watched the Weather Channel, seen the reports of massive wildfires, large and frequent storms, flooding, etc.  How can anybody live on this planet in this, the year 2023, and still deny that something is destroying the environment?  How can anybody put their own desire for a gas stove or a private jet above the basic needs of not only their fellow humans, but of every other living species on the planet?

And now, I shall step down off of this soapbox and go pet my kitty for a while to remind myself of what’s really important in this world.

Job Requirement: Walk A Mile In My Shoes

Posted on by under Economic issues, education, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

We humans … all of us … have built-in defense mechanisms that allow us to tune out certain things.  If you walk frequently in a city, you have likely learned to tune out the homeless person sitting against a building, hoping someone will stop and offer him a meal.  When we pick up our child at school, we rarely notice that tall kid with the holes in his shoes, or the skinny child whose clothes are two sizes too big, or the child being pushed to the bus in a wheelchair.  We become inured to things that would bother us, would disturb our vision of the world we live in, perhaps even give us a twinge of guilt for our own well-being relative to others.

Most of our politicians today are wealthy by almost any standards and have always been so.  They do not notice us … until election day.  And if they don’t notice us, have never spent time with a family mired in poverty, or a person suffering from the effects of AIDS, or a homeless mother and her children living in their car, then they don’t understand the problems of those people.  How could they?

Imagine if, in order to have his or her name on the ballot, a candidate running for Congress had to spend one month living in subsidized housing, living on nothing more than food stamp benefits, a small stipend for non-food items, and not much more to survive on for that month, with zero access to their own wealth or family.  Or imagine if that candidate had to spend 10 hours of every day for a month volunteering in a homeless shelter, food pantry or soup kitchen.  Might it open their eyes and give them a sense of empathy for what the people of their country go through on a daily basis?

Politicians have no idea what life is like for the poor in this nation, and that lack of understanding leads them to make decisions that are in the better interests of the wealthy than the average Joe.  I have long said they all … in both parties and with few exceptions … live in ivory towers far above the madding crowd and have zero understanding of what it’s like to have to live on a tight budget, to serve rice 5 nights a week and maybe chicken once a week for a treat.  They have no comprehension of what it’s like to have to choose between paying the electric bill or taking your asthmatic child to the doctor for a much-needed checkup; between buying food or insulin.

Before astronauts fly into space, they spend days inside of simulators to gain an understanding of what their journey will be like.  But most members of Congress are far removed from the people they represent and have only read about their trials and tribulations, never experienced them first-hand, not even for a day.  Airline pilots receive thousands of hours of training before they are allowed to fly a plane full of a hundred or so passengers, but members of Congress who are responsible for making decisions that affect 330 million lives receive almost no training.  Most members of Congress hold a law degree, not a degree in social work, and in recent years the people have elected members of Congress who didn’t even finish high school!

There’s a saying – walk a mile in my shoes – that seems apropos here.  Granted, no one person can experience all the hardships people go through, but if they lived a month in the life of those less fortunate, might it open their eyes a little?  Might it give them a level of empathy that few have when they first take that oath of office?  And might it weed out those who have no stomach for even a month without the trappings of luxury to which they are so accustomed?   Might it make them more interested in funding those things that help people live better lives rather than space exploration that provides no benefit, or military hardware that destroys lives?  Might it change their priorities just a bit?

My Thoughts On Thanksgiving This Year

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, History, Holidays, Personal, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.  The origins of this day mean nothing to me, for they are based on lies, on the whitewashing of the factual history of the nation.  However, I still treasure the day for other reasons.  It is a time to stop for a minute, to remember the things that most of us have to be thankful for, starting with family & friends.  But this year feels different to me.  I am sad.  I feel guilty that I do have so much to be thankful for.  I have my family, small though it is, and wonderful friends, all of you included.  I have electricity and can keep my house reasonably warm or cool, can keep my food cold in the fridge and then cook it in the oven.  I have hot and cold running water and plenty of it.  I have a car that runs.  We have enough money to pay our bills and still have a bit left over at the end of the month.  So yes, I am thankful, but I still feel guilty when I think of all the people, both here and elsewhere, who have none of those things.

In Ukraine, winter is setting in and many residents have no electricity, no water.  Some have lost their homes to Russian bombs.  Some have lost their spouses, their children and grandchildren. Can you imagine living under those conditions?  And apart from donating a few dollars here and there, there is little to nothing that most of us can do to help.

Even here in the U.S., often referred to as a wealthy nation, more than a half-million people are living on the streets or in homeless shelters.  37.9 million people in this country are living in poverty … that’s 11.6% of the population!  6.6 million people worldwide have died of Covid since March 2020.  Imagine how many grieving friends and family members they have left behind.

Then there is the rise in all forms of bigotry … LGBTQ people being shoved back into the proverbial closet, Black people being murdered simply because of the colour of their skin, women being stripped of their rights, and religious extremism threatening to invade the very foundation of human rights.

So yes, I feel guilty.  I am no better than a homeless person, no better than a person in Ukraine, so why should I be enjoying a veritable feast with my family and good friends, while others suffer so much?  It isn’t a perfect world, but frankly … the world could be a whole lot better if governments worked together to solve problems instead of creating them, if those who can afford to shared their wealth with others less fortunate, and if everyone set aside petty differences to work for the collective good.

That said … it is not my intent to be dreary and depressing.  We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with our dear friends, the al-Dabbagh family.  They came to this country as refugees from Iraq about 10 years ago, and almost immediately we became close friends.  They are warm and loving people and we do so enjoy sharing cultures, food, and much joy with them.  They have a new baby, Naya, this year who is just 3 months old, so I’ll get to spend time spoiling her!  I don’t suggest that we all shouldn’t have a great holiday, but I just wanted to share with you some of my own thoughts, my feelings that despite our troubles, we all have so much to be thankful for.

And on that note, I wish all my friends in the U.S. a very happy holiday with friends & family (and turkey), and to the rest, I just wish you a happy day.  I will be busy cooking for our two families (9 people in total), so I won’t likely have an afternoon post nor be answering comments today, but I will try to get caught up on Friday.  Love ‘n hugs to you all!