Blog Action Day - Still Focused on Literacy and Poverty

I have spent the last hour visiting conversations on poverty through others' blogs.  The issues that have been brought up range from local issues to conceptual ones.  Everyone talks about how the monsterous challenges of poverty are too huge for us to face, yet in all the conversations I have been reading about, ALL of the issues have been addressed.  We all have certain passions helping those affected by poverty.  With all of us focusing on our individual passions, yet working collectively, imagine the change we could make in the world. 

Compassion International's concept of a "Poverty Wheel" displays the components that need to be in place to bridge the divide between absolute poverty and having enough.  The spokes of the wheel represent the different aspects of the things people in poverty need to get to a place of having enough to sustain their lives and impact others' lives.  These items include the educational, economic, health, environmental, spiritual, and social issues of life.  The blogs I read today focused solely on each of these components. 

My focus (or should I say - my consuming passion) is on literacy as part of the solution to empower people born in abject poverty.  I was planning on blogging today about eradicating illiteracy in Africa because that is my driving passion, but when I started reading blogs from others who want to see poverty extinguished, my focus changed. 

When we are all doing our part, we are following our passions.  If we can collectively enourage others to partner with us and do our small part toward the greater good, we can make poverty a memory and not a horror to survive daily.  My passion is literacy - What is yours?  What are you doing with your passion?  Ignite it!  Invite others to flame your passion for the good of those who aren't as fortunate.  We can stamp out poverty, but it will take us all to roll that poverty wheel  into the chasm of forgetfullness.  I'm in.  How about you?

Compassion is not sentiment but is making justice and doing works of mercy. Compassion is not a moral commandment but a flow and overflow of the fullest human and divine energies. --Matthew Fox

photo on flickr byfeijeriemersma

Blog today is part of   

Comments

[Miriam]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Miriam

http://www.craigslistdecoded.info

[Laura Hecht]

Miriam,
Thanks for visiting my blog. My thoughts are somewhat an outpouring from my heart, so it is always nice to have positive feedback from others. Please keep coming back because there are big things coming up - Going to Africa in July. I expect this trip to break and fill my heart at the same time. I cannot imagine the impact this will have on my (already) passion.
Thanks again for the comment.
Laura