BootsnAll Travel Community

just in case you guys are wondering where this is coming from: i just remembered about my post on relief work.. and i reread it. the difference is that this time, i read it after i came back from my thailand trip...

i've read some books on relief work, how there's so much bullshit going on in other parts of the world. so much poverty, suffering, killing, and dying. i hadn't seen any of these up close and personal (as of late, anyway) until thailand. i've said it before and i'll say it again.. there's something about that trip that changed my life.

has anyone taken the train from bangkok to chiang mai before? there's an area you pass through that consists only of tiny shacks with rusted ceilings. whenever i walked from new world lodge to khaosan road, i saw a tiny old woman sitting on the concrete, squeezed in between the curb and whatever car tire she was leaning against, holding her hand up. i always tried to give her whatever loose change i had in my pocket. amazing what half an american dollar could do. also, i remember when i was a kid, i was with my dad in hong kong. we were standing there waiting for a taxi and i looked down and saw a man with disfigured legs. i gave him $20 (in hong kong dollars) and he looked up at me and bowed his head. my dad yelled at me for wasting my money.

i'm aware of how some people like that can be shady, and could just be trying to scheme for more money. there's a possibility that the old woman has a loving family that takes care of her and she just does this on her own time. there's a possibility that the man in hong kong did that to his legs on purpose. but for every person that's trying to scam everyone, there's probably another that genuinely needs help.

it's not like i wasn't aware of these issues before. it's just that now, they're actually in my face. plus, i had blocked out the memory of that man in hong kong up until now. i've never had the misfortune of living on welfare, and i'm not on financial aid but at the same time i'm not rolling in mclaren F1's and chanel coats (thank god).

whenever people travel, they don't make it a point to see, and possibly try to help, the suffering of people in other countries. why not? i guess i'm feeling this way because i don't know how to help, NOW. i'm always saying 'yeah, i intend to do relief work after i graduate' but i feel like that's not enough. ok, so i have a part time job, i go to school full time, and sometimes i volunteer with these two groups for 'inner-city kids' that primarily focus on institutionalized racism and environmental justice. sure, i donate a couple dollars here and there to charities, donate used clothes, etc. but that's so.. well it just doesn't feel like it's enough.

sorry, i don't know what i'm trying to say. i'm saddened that so many people in this world are dying of diseases that could easily be cured in even the smallest first-world clinics. i'm disgusted at how filthy stinking rich some people are, and yet they don't give a shit about the dead infant laying on the sudanese desert with all his/her bones showing through. i'm angry that there are people out there that actually believe that it's possible to justify killing. i'm frustrated and i feel helpless because although i know what to do in the future, i don't know what to do now - and i don't understand why i'm stopping myself from making what i plan to do in 'the future' a reality in the present.



hmm at this point i'm wondering.. do i need a therapist??

Xoom, I can perfectly understand what you are trying to say. The divide is so visible in India. Especially in cities like Mumbai, where people living below the poverty line come in search of work. Yes there are scams and there are those in genuine need of help. NGO's cant cope up with all this. A good book to read, which was converted into a movie is "City of Joy". I always ask myself why some are born rich and some poor. So far, no one has the answer. So do what every you can, ever little drop helps, sometimes NGO's need manhours rather than finance. I guess this is just the way the world is and will continue to be that way.

Xoom,
my only advice would be to not let the injustices of this world get you down. it's hard to do but getting upset/angry won't change all the greed and malice that happens every day, but it will depress you. As far as feeling like you're not doing enough, maybe you feel that way b/c a couple dollars here and there doesn't make a difference in your life, but it can make a profound difference in others. There was a time when i wanted to save the world, so to speak, but i came to realize that it's not a one person job. The "little" things that you do help more than i think you realize. And as far as figuring out what to do now, maybe the timing just isn't right at the moment for you to be able to do what you want in the future. Most things in life take time and planning to happen, so be patient. Don't know if any of this has helped keep in mind for all the bad stuff we hear about on the news, etc. there's a lot of good out there that we don't hear about, that would probably renew your faith in this world (partially at least)

Sue

Don't let that stuff get you down too much. Yes, it is very depressing, and yes, ideally it wouldnt be that way, but you are doing everything you can. You're a full time student who works and still manages to volunteer and you give money and clothes and whatever you can do. yes it will seem insignificant, but at this point in time there is not alot more that you can do, doing relief work after you graduate will also do alot to help, but it wont fix everything wrong out there. Just do what you can, give a little money, help out a little, and realize that you have done more than what most people in the world would do. It is impossible for one person to eliminate the poverty and suffering in Thailand, let alone the entire world. Do what you can, give what you can, even if its only a kind word or a smile.

ya know sue, i never thought about it that way before.. thanks.

alright i dont mean to be to much of an ass hole but im going to kinda play the other side here. if we got rid of all the death and sufering, if we gave every one med's and cloths and places to stay, we would kill this planet in no time flat. the world population is already getting out of control. we humans spread like a disease, this world wasent made for us alone, evolution is still going on, were not the end result here. i think if your going to give your money to charity, give it to green peace or some thing like that. go tree planting or some thing. if you dont want to have children sufering in thailand then dont let them be born, put a restriction on the amount of children a family can have, and that goes for all other countries in the world as well.