Bright World Images
Travel Stories
by David Shwatal
The Doogie Times
God is my travel agent.
Today you woke up...
... and took a hot shower. You ate a decent breakfast, got dressed in your work clothes or business attire. You drove your car or SUV to work and burned about a gallon and a half of gasoline. Or maybe you just took the bus.
In those moments you lived more comfortably than perhaps anyone who ever existed prior to the 1900s and wealthier than nearly 80% of the more than 6 billion people who share our planet.
Count your blessings. And remember to share.
Most of my photographs show this beautiful world in her moments of splendid glory. And these are real, true to life moments... if only fractions of a second caught on film. These types of scenes have long existed in our world, they exist now, and if we take care of each other and our world, they can exist for a long time to come.
Every day children die from preventable causes because they have no access to medicine that costs less than $8... but is more than 3 months of family income. 1.2 Billion people worldwide live on less than $2 a day and most have no regular access to basic healthcare. 4.5 Million people die each year because they have no access to clean water. Every 3 seconds someone starves to death. Most of them women and children.
The poor in our country often live in run down housing or live out on the streets and beg. In some countries I’ve visited, if you live in a run down shack you are middle class. And if you are begging on the street, it is because you have worked a job (perhaps cleaning a sewer or a toxic ship graveyard where industrial nations leave their old vessels to rot) and earned the ‘privilege’ to beg on that street. For that ‘privilege’ you pay a ‘tax’ to the local police chief or crime boss equal to about 99% of what you earn begging on ‘their’ street.
It is also possible that your hand or foot is crippled or disfigured. This was done to you on purpose by your mother when you were young. You can hardly blame her, as it helped her get more sympathy and a few extra coins from wealthy visitors.
I’m not writing this to bring you down or spread guilt. I’m writing this to remind you just how blessed we are in this country. The cost of living is rising. But these are costs for health and security that many can’t even dream of having.
Consider giving even a small amount of your resources, or even better - your time - to worthwhile causes. It is the true way to peace in this world. And at the very least it is a way to maintaining America’s good name.
It does us no good to be angry at the past unless we make our own efforts now for all of our futures. We’re in this together. All of us.
A portion of the sale of my profits goes to Cross International Catholic Outreach, the Off-the-Street Club in Chicago, and the United Nations World Food Program. There are many other good ways to give. Support one that feels right to you.
As a country we give less than half of 1% of our GDP to developing nations for sustainable programs to improve their standard of living. Some countries do more. Denmark, for example, gives about 1.7%.
If we could increase this small percentage it would not only be a tremendous help to many in the world, it would improve our image as a great nation, and help bring real security to all. I believe this is far more valuable to us all than what we would sacrifice in giving this little bit more.
After all, we ARE a great nation. But we are just one of 210 others in our neighborhood. Just 0.5% of 6 billion ! Let’s remember the rest of our neighbors.
David
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Help a hungry person for free: http://www.thehungersite.com
or by donation: http://www.friendsofwfp.org
Help end the yearly flow of about 800,000 people across international borders for the sex trade and other forms of
forced and indentured labor. About 80 percent of them are female and more than half of them are children. Nearly
15,400 / week, 2200 / day , 3 every 2 minutes. You can help.
Virgin trees and forests that are more than 1,200 years old shouldn’t be used for toilet paper or facial tissue. Yet, irreplaceable forests are being clear cut for just that and more. We need them to breath and to offset global warming.
Environmentally friendly products: http://seventhgeneration.com
Environmental websites: http://www.nrdc.org
http://www.americanforests.org
I have no financial interest or relationship with any of these sites. Just like you, I benefit from having a better, safer,
pollution free world to live in.
Thank you for your interest in my photography and stories. Be sure to visit the rest of my site:
Phone (708)250-2732 or Email
View my stock photography portolio.
Search and Download my stock photos.
