The United States is a vastly rich and plentiful land. We are able to find our own energy sources, provide our own food supply and even able to export our products to the rest of the world. We continue to be a world power even though our economy is practically shattered like a lamp. As a country, our opinions matter. Our opinions matter above most other countries because we have the means and opportunity to make a difference. We complain of a growing division between the wealthy and the poor in our country, but our poverty line remains miles above the poverty lines of other countries, countries like Afghanistan and Sudan. However, because we have the means and opportunity to make a difference, we should utilize those resources to make a difference. It is our ethical responsibility to help those who need help if we have the capabilities to do so. If a child in Africa is dying of malnutrition and we waste our extra crops, we should make the effort to help that child. The amount of money that we spend annually in the United States on diets and methods of weight loss is something like twice the amount that would be necessary to distribute the extra crop production of the United States. Think about it. We have the food and the money to be able to save the starving kid in Africa, but we don't utilize those resources. It's inefficient and it doesn't help anyone. However, we must not confuse our ethical responsibility to help with our desire to take advantage of and/or force opinions and beliefs on another group of people. There is a fine line between wanting to help and wanting to spread an idea. I'm mainly, but not exclusively, referring to the spread of Christianity. For example, Christianity spread to the Native Americans through the use of missionaries. While missionaries believed that they were helping the Native Americans, the Native Americans did not desire to be assisted by the missionaries, and in fact rebelled against them repeatedly. The line exists on the need and desire for help. We may feel that a group needs our help, but do they want our help is the point I'm trying to get across. Because we have the means, we have the responsibility to do everything in our power to assist if, and only if, the desire for assistance is there.
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Zoe BachmanResponses are to the questions posed on this website: Archives
May 2012
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