Sunday, March 1, 2009

Making do with less

If people in the West generally are getting impatient with the rate if improvement in education and social justice, it seems to me that a study of the social history of this hemisphere would provide the student with a calming sense of perspective. Great wealth has always gravitated to the privileged few, but the percentage of assets/earnings grabbed by the rich does not matter very much any more.

What matters is the real level of actual misery suffered by the poor. That's not hard to agree with is it? It may be hard to define the terms, and the 'law' may refuse to try, but a lot of people are slipping back into poverty at the moment.

This is bad. Poverty is no joke, even if this is a very relative term, for he who slipped it is upsetting. All the more so because it was not 'positive' to prepare for the worst. Nor was it 'politic' for the government or its media to suggest preparing to 'cut back' was a good idea.

I have my own ideas about making do with less. Of course there are limitations of education, location, skills, tools, physical strength, that I have to work with, but you do what you can.

I plan to continue this theme with descriptions of my environment, personal attempts at 'Making Do', reflections on Corfu life, and images.

I invite you to submit your own experiences and any ideas on the subject of making do with less, and would like to receive your images to illustrate your comments. Hopefully photo images will be enhanced and trimmed unless you have done so yourself and let me know.

Links to contributors' blogs will be featured of course - but I am struggling with the technology at the moment, so advice is most welcome. To be continued.......

3 comments:

  1. We went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic and learned so much from the people there. They were happy with the smallest gesture of kindness. Music was everywhere in spite of dire poverty. They forever changed and challenged my perspective on life.

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  2. Thanks Cher, I also was impressed by the Greek people's good nature at a much lower level of affluence in 1964. The question is, are there absolutes in matters like child mortality,relief from horrible and curable disease that poor people suffer without complaint. I don't know.

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  3. I dont believe we should have an aversion to wealth. But we shouldnt let it rule us either. I was very poor as a child. Then I lost all as an adult.So I live a middle way now.Little needs much contentment.

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