Think Globally, Be Disillusioned Locally

Today I saw first lady bush in person at a political rally. I am not a particularly political person, but i was given a free ticket and was curious enough to go. It was almost like an out of body experience. I wasn't inspired by the speeches, the patriotic music, or the impassioned pleas to "get out the vote".

I am not going to vote this election. I dont believe an ignorant vote is a responsible vote. I haven't taken the time this election cycle to educate myself and frankly didnt care to. I do not feel like I am a part of the community enough to connect with a candidate or be concerned over issues.

The saying goes " think globally, act locally" and I see the wisdom in that. Be aware of the interdependence of the world and be concerned on a global scale, but go to work to change things where you are, and then real change will be effected. Its the same concept as "if everyone took care of everyone else and didnt worry about themselves, then everyone would be taken care of and no one would have to worry about themselves".

My problem is that I definitely think globally, and thanks to technology I can act globally quite effectively. I have friends in several different countries serving as missionaries, I sponsor a child in Rwanda, and have spiritual "family" living in tanzania.

I also see the glut of help organizations that exist in the United States and yet somehow the poor are still poor, the abused are still abused, and the hungry are still hungry. There are so many resources here that mysteriously dont make it to those who need it most. I am a bit disillusioned about acting locally. That doesnt mean that I dont want to act locally, but I feel there is a lot happening here already.

There are a lot of global actions I can take to help those elsewhere in the world that are truly ignored. When Hurricane Katrina struck the gulf coast, the problem was poor logistical planning, the supplies couldnt get to the stranded. In places around the world Hurricane Katrinas happen everyday, and even if logistics were planned, there arent even supplies to be delivered to the stranded.