Improving The Poor Or Third World Countries

For instance, giving money to the National Federation of the Blind because I have an eye condition or volunteering at an animal shelter because I love animals. While these acts are definitely commendable, I’ve learned that they aren’t what effective altruism is about. These acts would be considered “misguided grounds for giving” (86). Effective altruism is about doing the most good by helping the most people who need the most help. Singer raises an interesting point that I hadn’t thought of before; aiding poverty in third world countries will have more of an impact than aiding poverty in America because poverty in America is still relatively more affluent than poverty in third world countries. Which is challenging because as I’ve said before, part of human nature is to want to help the people and causes that you have a bond with. If you choose to be an effective altruist, you need to have perspective on what will do the most good. You must see the world objectively and intellectually. For example, “not to donate a kidney to someone in need is to value one’s own life at four thousand times that of a stranger” (87). However, my own sense of community still stands strong. I grew up in a small town on a small island where traits like empathy and passion were held above objectivity and intellect. Therefore, while this book raises logical points about how we should view the world,

Everyone has a dream or something they want to follow in life. Some want material gain while others want to help as many people as they can. I’m not saying wanting material gain is a bad thing, but what I am saying is that for me, money is not the number one concern when my dream is to help others. My hunger to help others only grows by the day. Because of what’s going on in the world we live in today, I believe that it is important that those who are less fortunate than others have the assistance they need to get to an even playing field, health-wise, with others.

I wasn’t aware of the importance of doing good for others, until recently that I witnessed it with my own eyes. It all started when was at Chicago, a random man helped out a homeless man and bought him some food. I noticed as I was in line that the cashier then gave the helping man a free choice to pick something he wanted due to the action he did. After that day I began to make an attempt at helping out more and being a better person in general.

The happiness that I received from giving to the needy has helped better prepare me for my job and it has given me special skills to help me with my current and future job. Jonathan E. Booth wrote,“Wilson emphasized that knowledge acquired from volunteering can lead to socioeconomic achievement in the workplace, which may result in a more positive reputation on the job, help in finding future work, or enhancement of the quality of [the current] job (Booth Pg 233).” The knowledge that I left with after feeding the homeless has helped me to be effective in job and my everyday life. It has helped me to have a more positive attitude and has made me more equipped in my job and my hobbies. Mr. Booth said,“While

When I was eight years of age, I started to realize that there was an entire word outside of the town, state, and country that I lived in. I became concerned about the lives of others, even those that I didn’t know personally. I often thought “There are people in other countries that don’t even have enough water to live, and I am living an amazing life here in America”. Not only was I concerned for those people, but I took action to help them. It was then that I started a fundraiser to raise money for people that can’t afford the basic necessities to live in third world countries. To this day, I have been saving every penny I could afford to make sure other people can live a better life.

There has always been a desire for in me to help others who can be in difficult situations or in need of help. This desire has pushed me to pursue a career within the social work field. There have been numerous instances in my life, where I took the chance to help others before helping myself. Whether these instances dealt with my family, friends, peers or strangers, I have always seen the worth in helping others. Putting others before myself has always been an enjoying experience because I am able to be selfless and provide opportunities to others who might not have the resources or help to do so. Knowing that I can have a great impact on others’ lives by directing them to resources or listening to their experiences excites me because I want

I admire the way Dorothy took the negative situations in her life and allowed so much goodness to come forth. Seeing the poverty prevalent in the world and losing a spouse is enough to discourage anyone, but Dorothy remained faithful to God despite the loss of her marriage, and she used her heartbreaking images of the poor as a motivator to do all that she could to assist them. As much as I believe the poor deserve more in life and need help, I have not taken the same hands-on approach that Dorothy had. While I donate money, food, and clothes whenever possible, I have not done anything directly related to those in need, such as volunteering in a soup kitchen. With that in mind, Dorothy’s dedication and hands-on approach to the poor is deeply inspiring to me, and it has called on me to reflect on my own life. Prior to my research, I had heard of Dorothy Day and I knew of her work with the poor; however, I was not aware of Dorothy’s personal story and the extent to which she worked to assist those in need. Dorothy has encouraged me to realize how important it is to help wherever we can for those who need

One morning there is a knock at your front door. When you open the door, you notice it is a family that is in need of your help. They are looking for a place to stay, so you invite them in for the night, a night turns into a week and then months and now years. During this time, this family needs food, money and shelter. You end up having to pay for their medical bills, for their children’s education and their food. You think to yourself, “I really wouldn’t mind helping this family out, if only they would work to become a part of our family”.

I'm coming from a background where living with financial problems is just another thing, but while living in Mexico I rarely saw anyone living on the streets or giving up. I always saw people constantly working on the fields, cleaning houses, selling candy at a stop light, doing everything they could to bring food to their families. My background doesn't only consist of every day endeavor, but it consists of people who are willing to help those who aren't able to help themselves. I saw people who didn't have much for themselves, helping and supporting those who didn't have anything at all. When I was eight years old I saw kids my age starving, without lights in their homes, without toys to play with or even shoes to wear. This is when the eager to help those in need began. I didn't understand why, but I just wanted to give them all my toys,clothes, and shoes. After giving them some of the things I owned, and making a fundraiser to buy food for them, something in me was still telling me I could do more. Coming from this created the characteristics that I now possess. The determination that these people had to work

Peter Singer’s The Most Good You Can Do is an insightful, informative, philosophical spin on the typical self help book. His ideas on effective altruism, doing the most good with what you have, is a fresh look at living a charitable life. The book provides an ample amount of examples of people and companies who strive to make as much impact in the world as possible, likely in an effort to make effective altruism appear to be a feasible way of living for the average person. However, as the book progressed, it seemed to lose focus, shifting between profiles of effective altruists, and Singer’s own point of view on the movement. Overall, the ideas presented were interesting and thought provoking, but the entire text could have been shortened dramatically and

Within the last 60 years, Third World development has been a global priority, at the top of virtually every Western agenda. And with the rise of the global population and poverty levels continuing to rise along with it, it is very easy to see why human development is becoming such a topic of focus and discussion among members of the academia. But one question that everyone wants the answer too is, how does Third World development fit into Globalization? Despite apparent compatibility, when closely examined it is clear to see that Globalization actually contradicts Third World development due to the conflict of agendas. Both Globalization and Development hold views concerning market reform, social structure and regulation, which are

Being anxiously engaged in good causes is something I feel strongly about. This mental framework has produced a set of experiences that broadens my awareness for others' needs while building my confidence. Some of these experiences include:

The end of extreme poverty isn't too far fetched. It's not something like world peace, or free money, it's actually quite realistic. The story, "The End of Poverty," is a story centered around the idea of ending extreme poverty. But in this book he mentions this, "Whose societies that are destabilized by extreme poverty." This shows a difference between extreme poverty and normal poverty, normal poverty is something you'd see just about anywhere, even rich countries, but extreme poverty is the one we're trying to get rid of because it's a worse form of poverty. People in extreme poverty don't have access to clean drinking water, or normal items. Getting rid of extreme poverty is a much more realistic idea then getting rid of all poverty so

Every city has poverty. Travel around the world, I bet it wouldn’t be difficult to find a city that doesn 't have an impoverished community. Poverty is a global issue, but most importantly it’s a local issue to me in the city that I live in. Among the 10 largest cities in America, Chicago has the third highest poverty rate with 40-60% of our residents living under the poverty level. People who live in poverty are given less opportunities, resources and tools than people who live in the middle or upper class. Poverty is not a pleasant subject, however, poverty is real. In the daily lives of the poor, poverty becomes a network of disadvantages. The end result is that there is a lack of access to education, employment, health care, affordable housing, proper sanitation and good nutrition among many generations of the poor (End Poverty). Of the issues associated with poverty, the lack of access to an education stands out to me the most. In Chicago, education is greatly valued and is vital for all development and growth achievements in people. Education is the process in which people gain knowledge, help form and shape attitudes and opinions, and allow people to gain a set of skills that they can further use in areas outside of a school environment. However, education systems in Chicago are taking a huge deficit due to the effects of poverty. The effects of poverty are already big factors toward the concern about Chicago, and why it is portrayed as negatively as it is, but those

During a few of our classes we have learned about globalization, and a little bit more about the world we are currently in. This lesson entirely introduced me to the new problems that we are faced with today in current society. This lesson has impacted me a lot. I also learned how much donations and little actions can benefit everyone in every way. When we were putting away jackets I thought a while after about all the people who’d have something to wear this winter. The part was that they didn’t have to donate at all, but people continued to do so. It was the same with the food hamper, although we did not get many donations this year, people still had the thought to bring things in. No one was obligated to bring anything in at all, but merely encouraged. These small actions are going to be able to make others lives better.