Since I began my quest this year to hi-lite the excellent work carried out on a daily basis by so many charitable organizations, a lot of the research I have been conducting has lead me to some very somber conclusions.
It is quite easy to despair at the hatred and animosity perpetrated thousands of miles away. Innocent men women and children being killed in the name of God, or in the name of ancient rights to ancient lands.
People persecuted and killed for their right to practice their religion or the right to their sexual orientation. Women are still a subjugated section of many societies, where choosing who they marry is not based upon whom they love but dependent upon parental approval.
Of course I do not need to look further than home to notice injustices on a grand scale. America – the land of the free, is not free. Homelessness has been on the rise for many years, and the numbers are as astonishing as they are tragic.
According to a survey carried out by The National Coalition For the Homeless , the number of homeless people has reached 3.5 million of which 1.5 million are children.
According to the non partisan Kaiser Family Foundation, 79% of the 48 million uninsured in America today are either US citizens or legal residents/aliens. That does not include the under insured, which would vastly increase the number if it was to be included.
Currently the unemployment rate exceeds 10 per cent, a number not seen in over a quarter of a century.
Since President Obama’s historic election victory, politics has become more nasty, more divided, than ever before.
Never before has a member of the House interrupted the President during a speech to a joint session of Congress, and certainly never shouted at the President “You Lie” as Joe Wilson, GOP congressman from South Carolina did in September of last year.
And never in the history of US politics has a previous Vice President consistently berated, belittled and criticised a sitting President as Dick Cheyney has done.
The current fight over the health care epitomizes the split between the left and right, both in Washington and in the country at large.
I could go on a whole lot longer. But I will spare you the pain.
Which brings me back to the beginning of my article. Spending my time researching so many charities allows me to restore my faith in mankind. Sometimes I tear up just reading about what some of these charities do to make a difference in peoples lives. And it happens every minute of every hour of every day.
And that is why I feel blessed in doing what I do. It’s what lets me sleep peacefully at night. And for that I am very grateful indeed.
