Guilt Free Travel: Are Handouts Necessary?
June 6, 2009 by Kimberly Darwin
Filed under Awareness, Live Guilt Free, Travel
I remember the first time I saw a leper.
Although it’s on the decline thanks to modern medicine, leprosy is alive and kicking in many third world countries. I was in Morocco, and the man sitting (armless, by the way) on the dirty street corner smiled at me with barely 3 teeth remaining in his mouth. I was in a hurry to meet a wool rug merchant who was offering me a private showing of his best handmade rugs, and I didn’t want to be late. I quickly smiled back to the leper and was on my way.
But it isn’t merely the disease-stricken that drew my attention on that and other trips. It was the kids running after me on the remote island of Lombok when I rode in on the back of a truck. There were six other people on the truck with me, but the kids knew to thrust their hands out to me rather than the other visitors. Perhaps it was my snow-white skin, or the fact that I even gave them the attention at all; but there it was, that compelling feeling that I had to give to anyone extending a hand out for help.
And so here we begin a thread on how we can enjoy guilt-free travel no matter where we end up. For no matter which country you visit–which includes our own, if you care to look for it–there will be financial disparity between the citizens. And unless you are whisked off to the Ritz Carlton immediately upon landing your Gulfstream, then you are likely to have exposur to those less fortunate than you.
I will be leaving for Panama on June 21, 2009, and will be reporting from there about our travels and how we handled the poverty surrounding us.
There will always be this “problem” until the people who control the World’s Money supply grow a conscience. The Wealthy Banking Elite somehow thinks it’s okay to live in a World of Poverty. The resources are available to put a stop to all of this. But it’s not going to happen under a World Government. Too much greed. Think about this for a moment. I read a study recently that said that almost half of today’s kids will experience living under the poverty level. And not in a 3rd World Country… right here in the United States. The numbers are absolutely alarming!!! http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/acrossstates/Rankings.aspx?ind=49 Again this is here in the United States not some 3rd World country! In my city there are now 135,000 people without jobs… and that is just in Las Vegas! The United States spends $800 Billion a year on “National Defense” and can’t even provide a basic standard of living to it’s Children?
So the solution is allocating resources by the powers that be. If you feel good giving to someone on a personal level and you have the means to do it great! But you shouldn’t feel “guilty” because there is plenty of opportunity for this to change… and change has to start from the Top. Nice Post. take care