Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty

I just found out that today is blog action day....when "thousands of bloggers will unnite to discuss a single issue." This year it's poverty. Visuals seem to help when talking about poverty. There are thousands to choose from but I thought this video was good.



The very last line keeps ringing in my head. "I didn't forget." I'm one of the few who has seen real poverty and have good friends who live with its challenges daily, but I still forget. I think we all do. So, what are some of the things you do to remember the poor? One of the things I really want to be more intentional about is living a life of simplicity. It involves a hundred and one daily choices and in our culture it's easy to choose excess. What are some things you've done to live a simple life? Is poverty something you even care about or does it seem too big and too hard to solve? Let's get the dialogue going... thousands are joining us today!

3 comments:

the smiths said...

Well, I totally missed this day, which seems to be the theme of my life as of late. Thanks for posting that video. Can I ask you something? What do you think of international adoption? You might have some interesting viewpoints since you now have a different perspective than many. Thanks!

Julianne said...

Here's my attempt at some thoughts on international adoption... I have nothing against it, and think it can be a good thing. It's something I've thought about a lot and here's where I currently land... I think if someone wants to adopt internationally they first really have to check their motives. Why do they want to? It has become trendy (ie. Madonna, Angelina Jolie) and I fear some people do it for the wrong reasons. Also, are they ready to be dedicated to helping that child learn about where they came from and potentially dealing with some tough issues as they get older. I think giving the gift of a family to a child is amazing. If a child can stay within their culture, I think that's best, but that's not always the case. In some African countries, there are so many orphans and it's not because people aren't taking care of them. Virtually everyone is looking after more kids than their own, and many just can't afford to look after another. If a child will spend years in an orphanage, adoption can be a good alternative. If they can stay in their country, all the better. My other big question that I've thought a lot about as we've considered this as well, is if you want to adopt, why not do it locally? There are so many kids here in need as well. That's the one I can't seem to get past at the moment.
So, if people have good motives, feel like it's somethng they should do and are committed to learning how to do it well... I say go for it. I think I have more questions than answers though!!!

Julianne said...

P.S. I'd be curious as to what others think....