Back before Christmas I received a request to donate money to a worthy cause, well a charity that is trying to raise money to provide five down on their luck families with a happy Christmas. At first sight it looked like a noble enough cause but then as I read more I couldn’t help but think that some people just don’t know how good they have it. The description of one family was that they were trying to sell their car to be able to give their kids some presents and a Christmas turkey. I couldn’t help but think how lucky they were to even own a car. Another single father was working two jobs over the holiday season to earn extra money for the same purpose. Again I thought how lucky he was to even have this option. The charities request also made me wonder where our priorities are. Then there were the videos posted online of Black Friday shoppers scrambling over each other to grab a bargain priced mobile phone reminded me of United Nations food parcel deliveries made to starving refugees. Refugees who actually seemed to have more self-control than the Wal-Mart shoppers but perhaps that was because they had more important priorities in their lives to worry about and actually had some compassion and empathy for those around them, who shared their struggle.

It seems to me that people around the world really have begun to lose their way when it becomes more important to grab a bargain priced phone than to show some respect for the people around them. If we are willing to elbow a neighbour in the ribs or push someone out the way to save money on a phone then what will we be willing to do if it ever comes to competing for something important like food and water?

In short western society has become so spoilt we don’t even know what the cost of anything is anymore and what is actually of real value. We think our double mocha chocolate latte lifestyles is our right and turn a blind eye to its true cost. A cost not to us but to others, so why should we care? We passively accept our right to own smartphones, to be connected 24/7 to drive our cars and of course open our presents on Christmas day and eat until our stomachs are ready to burst. We believe that this is such an important right that charities are asking for money to buy children presents at Christmas. Not to provide food and shelter but presents of all things, more consumerist junk, and why? I mean is it really such a good cause or would that money be better spent trying to eliminate world hunger or poverty rather than lining the pockets of some toy manufacturer, or turkey farmer.

Real poverty and hardship exists in the world and it is our responsibility, and I don’t mean because we are all human and should try to help one another and we are not doing enough. I mean it is because it is our fault! We have and still are actively contributing to the cause of poverty. Our lifestyle is not sustainable without the existence of poverty. The real cost of our belongings and trinkets are in the blood sweat and deaths of millions around the world. Millions of people slaving away in sweat shops making our clothes, down mines digging out the minerals we need for our electronics, on the assembly line making our smart phones or in the fields gathering crops to feed us and give us our daily caffeine fix. These people are not gainfully employed but are enslaved by the companies who demand more and more efficiency and lower and lower costs so they can stay competitive in their home markets and give us that Black Friday deal we all crave and some even pray for.

The simple truth is, if the people who provide us the services we demand were paid a fair price then the goods and services we have would suffer. Everything from the price of our clothes to the coffee we drink would rise dramatically where many would find it unacceptable. Yes it might help eradicate the world of poverty but it would also mean forgoing our double lattes or updating our phones every year, and to many that is just unacceptable. Western countries would become divided between those who can afford tto have them and those that can’t. Sound familiar? This is exactly what is happening now on a global scale where we have created a world where the rich west exists only because we don’t allow the poorer nations their share of the pie. We take their resources and labour as cheaply and efficiently as we can and sell it on in our own markets at an affordable price to us but not a fair price to those that we need to do this. We abuse the poorer nations by bribing officials and turning a blind eye to employment conditions that we would never get away with in our own countries. Just take a look at the complaints made against many well-known high street names alone. Not to mention the many clothing manufacturers.

The imbalance in the world’s wealth exists because that is what the west has created to support its lifestyle choices. It has built itself on the cheap labour and backs of less developed nation by bankrupting them to a point that they became so dependent on foreign money they are willing to enslave themselves just to survive. Western countries encourage others to build their infrastructure and develop their industries but who benefitted most from this? The west offered huge loans and expertise to get things started but the money never reached the economy of the countries they were helping but instead lined their own multinational corporations pockets. In its simplest form a western country pays itself to build a bridge in Nigeria and charges the Nigerians interest on the loan it made to one of its own cooperation’s. Nigeria then spends the next decade paying back the loan.

If we truly want to eradicate poverty in the world we have to accept that we must all first get a little poorer, but that would never do now, would it?