ProgressOhio

Last Friday I went to the Wexner Center to see a documentary on Coffee trade out of Ethiopia. Link Properly titled "Black Gold" the documentary struck me to the core both mentally and emotionally.

I was especially struck by the devastating poverty that the coffee farmers had to live in. But what impressed me even more is that when the farmers gained a tiny pay increase for their product the first thing they decided to do was to bond as a community, put their money together and improve the local school, so that their children could get an education.

That alone put everything in perspective. Here we are a powerful, rich people, complaining and fighting about mundane little aspects of our society, while our children take this world for granted skipping school, going to the mall, and drinking starbucks coffee.....without giving a second thought to the people halfway across the world who are struggling to survive and producing the products we consume daily.

The most uplifting moment of the night came when I realized that pretty much every single seat in the theater was taken. It somehow brought a warmth to my heart that we care. Isn't it great to know that we aren't completely the self centered pigs that the jihad extremist think we are. We actually care. Hopefully if we get enough people to care, one day, one day soon, we can end extreme poverty all over the world. And not just with aid, but by helping countries become independent self sufficient entities. That would be nice.....