It always surprises me why we tolerate a world where millions die of poverty and starvation while others live in unearned opulence. I say unearned deliberately, because it is not hard work that makes you a millionaire/billionaire, it is your ability to exploit others for your own personal gain, and this is always possible under the present system of capitalism, that is the aim of the system, get rich at others expense.
This figures paints a horrifying picture, 45% of all child deaths worldwide are from causes related to under-nutrition (World Health Organization, 2018).
That itself should shame the world into righteous anger and bring the existing system down, but it doesn't. Some other figures that should bring us onto the streets to vent are anger and disgust, all this taking place in a world where there is enough food to feed everyone, but profit dictates that this will not happen.
Harrowing details of the unfair, unequal, unjust system we tolerate.
780 million people, 11 percent of the world's population, live in extreme poverty on less than $1.90 per day.
At least 14 million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition around the world. Severe acute malnutrition is the direct cause of death for 2 million children every year.
Every day, 1,000 children under 5 die from illnesses like diarrhea, dysentery, and cholera caused by contaminated water and inadequate sanitation.
Source 1: United Nations, Source 2 and 3: UNICEF
In the year 2000 our esteemed world leaders agreed to eliminate extreme poverty by 2015, the above figures are proof that they failed miserably, either they are incapable of solving this scar on the face of humanity or they don't wish to, as it might upset the economic system of greed and profit, from which they do very well thank you.
The answer to this crime against vast swaths of humanity is to destroy the corporate/state economic system of capitalism, it is designed for the few to gather abundance around them at the expense of the majority. There is no point in tinkering with the workings of the system, it was never intended to bring about equality or justice, and appealing to those who manage this cancer that blights humanity is pointless, they stand to lose too much of their power, wealth and privileges, and they will fight tooth and nail to maintain the status quo.
I penned the following lines more than 20 years ago, they could be written tomorrow and still be a true picture of our world.
This figures paints a horrifying picture, 45% of all child deaths worldwide are from causes related to under-nutrition (World Health Organization, 2018).
That itself should shame the world into righteous anger and bring the existing system down, but it doesn't. Some other figures that should bring us onto the streets to vent are anger and disgust, all this taking place in a world where there is enough food to feed everyone, but profit dictates that this will not happen.
Harrowing details of the unfair, unequal, unjust system we tolerate.
780 million people, 11 percent of the world's population, live in extreme poverty on less than $1.90 per day.
At least 14 million children suffer from severe acute malnutrition around the world. Severe acute malnutrition is the direct cause of death for 2 million children every year.
Every day, 1,000 children under 5 die from illnesses like diarrhea, dysentery, and cholera caused by contaminated water and inadequate sanitation.
Source 1: United Nations, Source 2 and 3: UNICEF
In the year 2000 our esteemed world leaders agreed to eliminate extreme poverty by 2015, the above figures are proof that they failed miserably, either they are incapable of solving this scar on the face of humanity or they don't wish to, as it might upset the economic system of greed and profit, from which they do very well thank you.
The answer to this crime against vast swaths of humanity is to destroy the corporate/state economic system of capitalism, it is designed for the few to gather abundance around them at the expense of the majority. There is no point in tinkering with the workings of the system, it was never intended to bring about equality or justice, and appealing to those who manage this cancer that blights humanity is pointless, they stand to lose too much of their power, wealth and privileges, and they will fight tooth and nail to maintain the status quo.
I penned the following lines more than 20 years ago, they could be written tomorrow and still be a true picture of our world.
Eighteen Hungry Children
Eighteen hungry children die
every minute of every day
Eighteen hungry children die
every minute of every day
eighteen of tomorrow's people
cruelly thrown away.
When pandering to a fashion
gratifying our greed
think, theirs is no desire
but a basic need.
Envisage a familiar face
a child that calls your name,
try to be the parent
try to place the blame.
Eighteen hungry children die
every minute of every day,
eighteen little faces
that never learnt to play.
Walk past your local school
listen to the shrill
stand and count to sixty
imagine hunger start to kill.
Fingers must be pointed
at decisions made on high,
questions must be asked
loudly asked by you and I.
cruelly thrown away.
When pandering to a fashion
gratifying our greed
think, theirs is no desire
but a basic need.
Envisage a familiar face
a child that calls your name,
try to be the parent
try to place the blame.
Eighteen hungry children die
every minute of every day,
eighteen little faces
that never learnt to play.
Walk past your local school
listen to the shrill
stand and count to sixty
imagine hunger start to kill.
Fingers must be pointed
at decisions made on high,
questions must be asked
loudly asked by you and I.
Eighteen hungry children die
every minute of every day,
every minute of every day,
eighteen preciuos lives
the claws of hunger slay.
WHY?
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