Something about Pride month made me come alive again, and start seeing the faces of the people around me again, and hearing their stories. It was like I had been asleep, only focused on my own life, and not looking around me to see what was happening to other people. It could have been compassion fatigue from two years of the pandemic, or an apathy brought on by the Trump years.
There is so much suffering going on in our world every day, and to some extent we have become numb to it. We have begun to feel like there is nothing we can do to fix the problems or take the pain away. So we just don’t think about them.
But, we all deserve to live in a better world. A world that is better for us, for our children, and for everyone.
People die every day of preventable causes like homelessness, starvation and lack of access to healthcare. Most of these problems are brought about by poverty.
In the United States, there is a growing gap between the very rich and the very poor.
According to Pew Research,
The wealth gap between upper-income and lower- and middle-income families has grown wider this century. Upper-income families were the only income tier able to build on their wealth from 2001 to 2016, adding 33% at the median. On the other hand, middle-income families saw their median net worth shrink by 20% and lower-income families experienced a loss of 45%. As of 2016, upper-income families had 7.4 times as much wealth as middle-income families and 75 times as much wealth as lower-income families. These ratios are up from 3.4 and 28 in 1983, respectively.
The very rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, and the middle class is shrinking. As this is happening, we are beginning to see more and more the inequalities of these wealth gaps. There are billionaires with yachts at the same time that people are homeless and starving in the street.
Until this disparity is addressed, either by Universal Basic Income or in some other way, we will continue to see the effects of poverty taking their toll.
Everyone deserves to be able to have a good life, not just the 1%. We shouldn’t have people starving to death when there is enough food in the world to feed everyone. Unequal distribution of wealth, and capitalism as a core value, is to blame.
We Need to Rethink What Basic Human Rights Look Like on a Global Level
Then, we need to do our best to ensure that every human being has access to basic human rights worldwide. This sounds like a big task, but it is something that we all need to consider to stop the grip of poverty on our society.
We also need to address the issues of racism, and equal access to healthcare, among others. By leveling the playing field for everyone, that is the only way that we can create a better world.
Read more on the blog:
Can a Cry for Peace Ever be Louder than a Call to Arms?
If a Global Pandemic Couldn't Bring us Together, Maybe Nothing Can
The world’s problems feel like a huge weight around our necks sometimes. They feel too big to solve all alone. That is why we need to come together as a world society, to solve these social ills and create a better world for everyone. The more we care, the harder we work, the better things will get.
Be well my lovelies,
Nicole Dake