Shakira building a school in Haiti
In the aftermath of the horrific earthquake that has ravaged Haiti, many celebrities and professional athletes have come forward to donate
their time and performances to raise money to help these devastated people.
Superstar musical artist Shakira is going one step further. Shakira’s Barefoot Foundation is overseeing the construction of a new school in Haiti, and the highly-popular singer is donating millions of dollars of her own resources.
In this time of great devasation and sadness, it’s appropriate for us to take a break from technology and think about putting a roof over students’ heads in Haiti.
Fortunately, Shakira is doing this.
Mark Barnes 
Although, I am impressed with the efficient work of some legitimate, well rated charities like those given high ratings at CharityWatch.org, I am truly disgusted with our approach in the developed world torwards achieving any degree of world prosperity. Its downright cowardess considering our good fortune. We run around telling ourselves how great we are and fall back on pathetic fantasies that we are good, noble, and worthy as long as we ‘give back’ a small portion of our wealth to the less fortunate. Of course, helping the less fortunate can be somewhat noble depending on your actual efforts and true motives. However, our failure to consider the big picture is profound. The devoloped world would not have become so if it weren’t for our relatively comfortable climate, fresh water supply, and fertile lands. That generous hand dealt by Mother Nature gave us a giant head start to begin with. We have also depended heavily on the importing of limited resources from around the world. Unfortunately, our ‘progress’ has left a wake of destruction in its path. For example, the world’s rainforest has been nearly depleted in a century. The world’s oil reserves have been signifigantly reduced. Wars have been waged over the remainder. Hundreds of millions of acres have been developed or left barren. The waters are polluted, the land littered, and hundreds of species have become endangered or extinct. All of this has taken place since the industrial revolution. All of this to benefit less than 25% of the world’s human population. To say that such an equation can not be sustained would be a massive understatement. Now, we are in the midst of a global recession the likes of which have only been seen once before. This again, like the last time, is a direct result of runaway economic growth, and record-high concentration of wealth. The least fortunate people in this world have even less buying power now than they did just 5 years ago. Another several hundred million people around the world have fallen into extreme poverty as a direct result. Innocent children starve and die in record high numbers. Another hundred or so in just the last ten minutes. Still, we fall back on those pathetic fantasies that we are good, noble, and worthy as long as we ‘give back’ a small portion of our wealth to those less fortunate. We could not possibly be more hypocritical even if we were to walk into a room with five hungry children, five sandwiches, take four, and ‘give back’ one. This is basically what we have done in the developed world. It is truly disgusting. Of course, we do so for the mostpart, out of incredible ignorance. Blind stupidity. Otherwise, I could not even begin to forgive the masses. I still find it very difficult at times. We are not the good, noble, and worthy people we make ourselves out to be. Somewhat good, yes. Somewhat noble, yes. Only because the majority still care for eachother on some level. But worthy? No way in holy Hell. What has taken place over the last century just isn’t right. Its not logical either. In fact, it is now physically impossible for the world to live by the standards achieved by its most fortunate 25%. Thats not world prosperity. Thats not even close. Still, we fall back on those pathetic fantasies. As if our own hypocrisy weren’t enough, we actually praise those who epitomoze greed. We do so at a critical point in time. If there has ever been a need for true understanding, true courage, and true generosity, that need is here and now. Still, we praise those false heroes. Public figures who deliberately concentrate and consume obscene levels of wealth and resource. They aquire mass acreage, multiple estates, mansions, yachts, and private jets. They consume energy like there is no tomorrow. They epitomoze greed and vanity to a degree never seen before. Still, we praise them. and for what? Because we like their product. Because they appear to share those pathetic fantasies. Because they ‘give back’ a small portion of their ill-gotten wealth and announce it to the world. What a facade. These public figures are not part of the solution. They are part of the problem. The world’s richest 1% now hold over 40% of the world’s buying power. That can’t be justified. Its an outrage. Those false heroes we praise all stand very high amoung the richest 1%. They get richer as we speak. They are never satisfied. They always want more. The equation they stand for absolutely can not work. Its downright obscene. Downright illogical. Impossible to sustain. Its the very reason why we have failed to achieve any degree of world prosperity a full century after the industrial revolution. Its time to admit the ugly truth. It simply can not work this way. It never has and it never will. The world doesn’t need anymore multi-hundred-millionaire ‘humanitarians’. It doesn’t need anymore jet-setting ‘philanthropists’. It needs a moral revolution. A comittment from those who are most fortunate to stop concentrating the world’s wealth and resources. To give more and keep less. Only then, will there be any chance for world prosperity. Only then, will there be any chance for world peace. That desperate need for true understanding, true courage, and true generosity is here and now.
I’m glad they’ve picked the shakira song for the next world, but I do not like her to have to copy rhythms of old songs.