Before we complain ever again, we should perhaps come back and re-look at this post. Stop complaining about the government’s involvement on Freddie and Fannae, stop complaining about the stock price, and stop complaining about our job. We are the lucky ones in the world.
If you think you are unhappy, look at them.
If you think your salary is low, how about her?
When you feel like giving up, think of this man.
If you think you don’t have many friends…
If you think you suffer in life, do you suffer as much as he does?
If you complain about your transport system, how about them?
If your society is unfair to you, how about her?
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Wow, we have it so good here in America so how unfortunate is that so many of us don’t realize how good we have it. The more we take god out of everything the worst the world gets. Just one man opinion.
Wow, powerful stuff and a potent reminder of just how fortunate we are in western countries. I think it’s especially important to think about this as we approach Christmas, where excess is encouraged. For some just getting anything to eat on Christmas day would be a bonus. Thanks for keeping us grounded 🙂
oh i m really happy now….. goon help me always i feel…. thanks Allah…..
… am I the only one that finds this a little bit pretentious? I understand that peoples’ lives are completely miserable… and FAR worse than mine, but that doesn’t mean that I need it waved in my face every other day. Call me a cynical bastard, but I think posts like this are too prevalent and seem to be less of a humanitarian effort and more of a “Look what a humanitarian *I* am” effort.
Do I feel for these people? Yes, I truly do. There’s nothing in the world more painful than photos like this and the knowledge that most are likely recent and ALL show the world for what it really is.
Do I need to see these pictures as often as I do? No, thanks…
You have to understand that people complain about the government because these poor peoples lifestyle is a bi-product of us. USA is an empire and we divide and conquer smaller countries to sell us their cheap resources. So if we worked on the US infrastructure then we can help the whole world.
One time I read a self-help book that said complaining was a sign of weakness. My roommate then started complaining about something and I said “You know what’s worse than that? The Holocaust.” In retrospect, that wasn’t very helpful of me.
really great reflection.
times are hard now for many people not used to worrying about money. More and more people are complaining about the most ridiculous things. And it seems that no one is ever happy.
In just a few short photos, you’ve knocked us all down a peg and reminded us that it could ALWAYS be worse.
Great job.
Hi. Found this through Smarter Wallet. It brought tears to my eyes, particularly the photos of the starving children. I really do have to sit back and consider my affluence, at times.
Wow. This made me cry. You are so so right. It is just so very hard seeing children hurting like that.
I agree with Shadox. I think we should strive to make things better in the world given its inherent inequalities. But that does not mean we do not have the right to complain. Everyone has the right to complain about what they view as stressful in their own lives. You are right though, that putting things in perspective does help us cope.
Wow. That’s all I can say. Those images proved the point perfectly.
Perspective is a good thing, but I think that lack of contentment is what drives us to achieve the next target. If you keep telling yourself that someone else has a worse job, do you reduce your incentive to work hard and find a more challenging or a better one? If you think our society is unfair, should you feel better by the fact that there are places in the world where people are even less fortunate? Sorry, I don’t think so.
Perspective is important, but so is context. I know that there are children starving in Africa, but other than contributing to charities to try to alleviate their suffering, how does this comparison help you to improve your own circumstances?
Here’s my take on it: keep things in proportion, but strive to make things better. Don’t just take your situation as a given. It doesn’t matter whether others are in a better or worse position than you. Make an effort to change your own life.
Thanks for posting this MoneyNing. It pays to know that most people living in the western world have a pretty sweet life compared to the rest of the world..
I just love this article,some photes are about Chinese people,They are really, I know.
I just love this article, It’s has enough to move people to open their eyes and see the realities that is affecting our world today. I myself see it here in the Philippines and it saddens me greatly when people choose to ignore the blessing they have in life and take the time to actually share them
This post should open everyone’s eyes. I was born and brought up in India and I have seen what poverty can do to you.
But after coming to the US, even I sometimes forget how people suffer.
Good one David .
Watch out, people might get mad that you are concerned about people other than yourself. 😉 I was just attacked on my site for caring about people’s problems. Great post, thanks for showing this stuff Ning.
Thank you for helping me take a moment to step outside myself and contemplate how good I really do have it. Even the poorest of us here in The U.S.A. often have it better than millions of others around the world.
Blog Action Day is on poverty. I hope we can all open our eyes a little more.