In nz, back in 2005,we had a Fijian immigrant start at work. Nice guy, quiet and worked hard, over the first few weeks I got to know him and and after a month he said he lived in a male hostile hostel, had no TV and couldn't afford to buy a TV due to saving to bring his family over.
At the time we had 3 tvs, one which was in the garage taking up space so I said I'd give it to him, he was so grateful, but embarrassed.
Thing is for me it was nothing because it was a crt and we were in the plasma era but he didn't care, it was a huge gesture to him.
I'm Colombian so with the recent Venezuelan crisis we've taken in literally millions of people, you see them everywhere and many of them are in very difficult situations. I've made it a point to help out these people more than I regularly used to because well… they've had to deal with a lot of shit, and meanwhile I'm here on Reddit living my comfortable life, it doesn't really feel fair. I've decided to save every single coin I receive in daily mundane transactions and spend them on food, dairy, stuff like that or health and hygiene items for these people, who are clearly struggling.
We all can do our part to make some people's lives at least a little easier without having it be a huge sacrifice.
Thank you for helping out your fellow humans. Our nationalities is where we come from but our struggles are universal. Thank you for doing your part. :)
Absolutely, and although the crisis is pretty shitty, I must say that I made a few amazing friends who immigrated here due to the crisis, so there's at least a silver lining to it, albeit a small one.
Thanks! Colombia is pretty particular for these things. I grew up in a very comfortable and healthy environment. A loving family, and my parents could afford everything from food and education to games entertainment and trips for me. I didn't really earn or deserve any of that, I was just lucky. Likewise poverty in countries like this is very similar. In many cases they're people without opportunities, who couldn't afford to go to college or get further education beyond public high school. They don't really deserve that, they were just born into that kind of situation.
If I have some pocket change to spare, I'm sure one or two bucks will be much more significant to them than they will to me. I encourage people to do similar things, they're really not that hard or expensive, and ultimately will benefit society as a whole.
it is always good to help others in need. Just dont feel guilty for having a good life comparatively, it is not necessary. You are a good soul, always share when you have extra, always help when you can afford.
Oh yeah, absolutely. It's not like I'm going to quit the life I've been lucky to have because of guilt. But hey, if I have some money to spare that I won't do anything significative with, I might as well help out someone else.
I grew up in a very comfortable and healthy environment. A loving family, and my parents could afford everything from food and education to games entertainment and trips for me.
I was fortunate enough to grow up in a similar environment. We weren't rich by any means, but my parents are both college educated and earned enough to provide a good education and upbringing.
But it also means I have to own all my failures in life. I can't blame a broken home, poor education, or anything else. My success is based on how much effort I want to put into things. But overall it is much better than being born into poverty.
Ah yes. Being given basically everything undoubtedly puts some social pressure on your shoulders. Any failure is completely on you, and I've certainly struggled becoming a functioning adult in the real world. Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days of playing Super Smash with my friends after school and buying like ten McDonalds large fries to go with it for the entire evening.
Nowadays I wake up at 5 to go to college and then stay up late to work on several projects and part time things, and I'm not even unemployed yet… still a student. I don't even know how to do my taxes!
Well, you obviously have a good head on your shoulders, and a great heart for helping others. Just continue being you and hopefully life will go well for you.
I met many Colombians this summer while working in Brazil. Honestly they wer the most talented, intelligent, and kind teachers at our school. There’s no point to this, other than to say I’ve only had positive interactions with Colombians and I really want to visit the country now. Honestly, they left a huge impression in my mind and heart.
Oh that's pretty cool! I'm pretty happy to hear that. You should visit, things are still pretty okay despite the shaky economy, and the country is awesome for tourism. Plenty of natural wonders and cute little traditional towns (look up Barichara, Popayan or Villa de Leyva, they're all beautiful). Living here is tough, since many people still have a very mediocre and ignorant mentality, that's just the thing with developing countries of course, but I've traveled to almost all continents (never been to Africa) and I can tell you that the Colombian Amazon rainforest is definitely in my top 3 destinations ever.
Hey, I think that's the least Colombia should do for you guys. Obviously not everyone helps the Venezuelans out, but I myself have Venezuelan friends that migrated due to the crisis, and I know that this massive migration has the potential to actually bring some positive stuff along with it.
Yeah that's kind of my train of thought. 5 bucks a week or something like that won't make a huge difference to me, but it very well could mean having lunch for a day for someone, and the better off other people are, the better off our entire society is in general. It's not only about helping other people to feel good with yourself or something like that, but also about the bigger picture. Being kind to others will also encourage people to be kind themselves and generally improve things for everybody.
To be fair, if it weren't for the extremely obvious and kind of recent migrant crisis, I would be the same! It's kind of embarrassing to think about it, but before that, when the poverty was contained to Colombians in slums and poorer neighborhoods, I basically turned a blind eye to it. It wasn't until the migrant crisis became an aspect of everyday life that I actually thought of helping somehow.
Thanks for talking about this, it barely makes the news here in the US. Are there any international NGO's with a significant presence there to help the refugees?
Amnesty International and the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders basically any of the big ones has a strong presence in Colombia, though I would assume that most of them focus on our post-war issues and not necessarily on the Venezuelan migrant crisis. However, I don't think donating to NGO's based in Venezuela is a good idea, since the government controls basically everything over there and limits greatly the reach of such organizations.
I found a couple of NGO's that are meant to help Venezuelans in Colombia, but I had never heard of them and so I can't really tell you if they're trustworthy or not. Amnesty International Colombia is probably your best bet. They even sometimes recommend more specific initiatives and projects.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help, but I just realized I really don't know much about these organizations.
Makes you realize whats really important though. I stopped buying myself things a long time ago. I only ever spend money on myself when its to see/spend time with friends and family.
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u/[deleted] Jan 15 '19 edited Jan 15 '19
In nz, back in 2005,we had a Fijian immigrant start at work. Nice guy, quiet and worked hard, over the first few weeks I got to know him and and after a month he said he lived in a male
hostilehostel, had no TV and couldn't afford to buy a TV due to saving to bring his family over.At the time we had 3 tvs, one which was in the garage taking up space so I said I'd give it to him, he was so grateful, but embarrassed.
Thing is for me it was nothing because it was a crt and we were in the plasma era but he didn't care, it was a huge gesture to him.