Lately, I've been a good little solider and got sucked up into my own daily life that I forgot there is a whole world out there. The mainstream news stresses and depresses me so I tend to avoid watching it on television and listening to it on the radio. In addition, I grow tired of people fighting over one thing or another. Therefore, topics such as health care reform and the like haven't really gotten into my frontal lobes or anywhere between my ears and behind my eyes for that matter.
This morning, while slurping down a few cups of coffee, I stumbled across a fact that grabbed my attention. In a study done by the United Nations Children Fund (www.unicef.org) nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names. For those with rusty math skills, one thousand millions make up one billion. That's the number 1 followed by 9 zeros: 1,000,000,000. I read that sentence over and over again until my heart began to ache and the wheels in my head were set in motion.
To truly address the worlds woes, I feel we need to address the poverty issue. The issues on health and human rights overlap each other. Promoting and protecting health and respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights are linked. You cannot separate one from the other. A wide range of factors that are detriments to human health are a direct correlation to humans rights. Some examples of those factors are: safe food, safe drinking water, effective sanitation, adequate nutrition, gender and race equality, and healthy living and working conditions.
When I do catch the news the common themes I hear are crimes such as robbery, murder, drug possession, rape and violence against women and children. The other usual suspects such as education, rights to freedom, war, economy, and climate change are ever present. Then there is the big hot topic that has everyone all whipped up and surly, healthcare reform and universal healthcare.
It was not until today when I read the fact that nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names did the little light in my brain click on. If we as a people can address healthcare issues then we will directly address the human rights issues and potentially address the evils that are so ever present. Desperate people take desperate measures to survive. It's all intertwined and we must accept the social stratifications. Poverty is the root.
Healthy people make the world a better place. Healthy people who have access to affordable healthcare are able to contribute to society and the economy. Those who are able contribute to society have the potential to nudge the world a little towards improving.
Sure, there will be those who will and do abuse welfare systems, but what about those who don't abuse them and use them to transition into a better state. Sure, it's expensive to spend money on welfare but what about the costs associated to fighting crime and going to war?
Whatever the 'solution' is to healthcare reform we need to at least try to be open to the evolution to the revolution. For if we fail I worry we will continue on a path that will lead us to our demise. But if we succeed then we will truly move mankind to the next level.
I begun this post by stating that we all different and we all have different opinions and experiences that support those stances. We look different. We love differently. We hate differently. We are just as unique as the guy sitting next to you in the coffee shop. We are all individuals and that is what makes this such a beautiful place. All the freaky people really do make the beauty of the world. Today, I encourage you to genuinely listen when someone shakes your foundation and that uneasy feeling surfaces. Be respectful and introspective as it's through adversity in which we grow.
Posts
