Writing For A Cause
Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Oct 16, 2011
On this blog I mostly write about things that pertain to business in some fashion. Most of the time the articles have to do with things I do in business, but every once in awhile it's about general business decorum or motivation.
Occasionally I go a different direction, and today is one of those days. Today is Blog Action Day, and people around the world are writing blog posts for a cause. Today's cause is Food, and instead of writing about it here I wrote about it on one of my other blogs instead.
It's not that I haven't written those posts here in the past. Actually I've only written a post here once before, with the topic that day being poverty. In that post I talked about the year I lived with my grandmother in Kansas City and how we were basically living in a slum where a lot of kids only ate one meal a day, that being the school lunch. In a way, that could tie into the post about food on my other blog; all this food we have in the United States and yet some kids were going hungry on a daily basis.
I'm not a guy who gets into a lot of causes. I don't tend to spread myself too thin because I know I can't save the world. I am on one charitable organization, and I give money to others when I can. I try to keep it low key because I really don't like getting a lot of solicitations, which I get anyway, from people that I've given money to before. Once you're on a list you're going to get bombarded; that's just how life goes, especially with an economy like what we've been dealing with over the last few years.
Still, every once in awhile you have to write for a cause, something that you might not deal with personally on a yearly basis, yet something that's for the greater good. On this blog many years ago I wrote about Hurricane Katrina. I wrote about poverty on my other blog in 2008 as well. I've written about diabetes and about high fructose corn syrup and about cancer and about racism and about oil and about sexism and gay rights and health care. I've written about the organization I'm a part of, Arise. I haven't written about all these things on this blog, but on other blogs, including guest posts.
I do this because every once in awhile we have to take a stand, a position on something that highlights how others have it worse than we do. I don't live my life looking for things going wrong with the world, but every once in awhile it confronts me in some fashion and I have to address it. I don't think there's anything wrong with things like this; I think when the mood hits you, then you just need to do what you need to do and move on.
I've done my civil duty for the day; what's your next step?
Unfortunately gap between poverty and prosperity is becoming bigger and bigger every single day. I rarely participate in causes and it have been quite a while since the last time I did it for something big. Right now, I try to stick to small things which can change life or just make it a bit better for individuals and mostly kids. There are many things that I can’t change and I don’t think that anybody can, but if everybody is a bit more responsible thing will start begging brighter for everybody.
Carl, I don’t get into a lot of things, but I do my few things here and there and feel that at least I’m contributing in my own way.
I am not sure that I’ve mention this in my previous comments, probably not, but for sure I have put a note in blog comment. You know that quite often I am traveling to Laos. At the main touristic area near Mekong river at capital Vientiane, there are many restaurant and a lot of beggars. I think there are in many countries as well and I have seen it. However in other countries they ask you for money. In Laos, they just pass close to restaurant and ask for food. When I am ask for money, in 99% probably I will not give, but when it is about food, I never refuse to give them part of my meal, even all.
Carl, I used to give money to people but I have to admit that I haven’t done it in a long time. Then again, the only time I see anyone begging for money is at a stop light, and I’m luckily never in the lane where the person is asking for money. It’s a weird site, that’s for sure. But I figure I donate money directly to the places where I know food is so I’m doing my part.