Saturday, May 22, 2010

Day 142- Moonshine

Dear Mr. President,

The oil spill keeps coming up in odd conversations today. A coworker asked me if I'd written to you about it, after she'd learnt the extent of the damage. A customer, before driving off with his latte, asked if we'd heard about the 10-mile underwater plumes. My Aunt, visiting from California, brought up the ominous feelings she's been having about how much worse it could get. It's been on my mind all day, so perhaps it's understandable that when I saw the headline for Nicholas Kristof's op-ed, "Moonshine or the kids?" I thought it was a reference to the oil spill. The op-ed is actually about misplaced priorities amongst the poorest families in Africa who struggle with substance abuse problems. But it might as well be about the boomer generation.

It's not that I think they're bad parents. I think, for the most part, parents want to do the right thing for their children, to act in their best interest. But, be it cheap oil or lower taxes or wracking up credit card debit instead of saving for college, the generation that has steered our nation to its current state has been quick to trade long-term interest for immediate gratification. To keep drinking the moonshine.

The conversation with my coworker quickly devolved into a litany of things that are wrong with the world, things that scare us, if we think about them too much. The world is so messed up, I told her, and I just don't know how to fix it. Getting angry at those that brought us here, the generation that came before, won't help me fix it. I know this. I think you're a long-term thinker, Mr. President, and what many would call inaction is in fact a strategy that considers the next five generations and not just the next five years. I hope that this perception is an accurate one; if we do not change the way we think, start seeing our children's legacy as more valuable than our next fix, they will never forgive us.

Respectfully yours,

Kelsey

1 comment:

  1. I am writing from Conversations for a Better World , a social platform for raising global issues and finding solutions and am contacting you because you re-blogged the New York Times Article “Moonshine or the Kids?”

    Next week we’ll have a question up for discussion:

    *"What evidence do we have that development dollars go further if placed
    in the hands of women?" *

    Because of your interest in investing in women and girls, we would like to invite you to submit a short blog-post of about one page to our website. Just go to www.conversationsforabetterworld.com to participate. Please feel free to email me at dar@unfpa.org if you have any questions.

    We are exploring different aspects of female entrepreneurship, courage and empowerment. Increasingly women's contribution as workers, entrepreneurs and managers of family and communities is recognized as central to development. They are building schools and spearheading micro-credit projects. They are planting and harvesting crops, buying and selling goods. They are setting up small businesses and doing it for themselves and their communities. We want to create a discussion that is forward-looking and highlights projects and best practices around the world with women as the main drivers.

    *Questions for discussion*

    * Which projects show that money put in the hands of women leads to a more sustainable economic situation for families and countries' economies?
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    * If education is the bedrock for progress, how do we ensure
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    * Is female-driven projects a win-win situation all around?
    * Do men and women spend money differently and how does that
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    * What are the best community-driven projects of all time, where
    women have spearheaded the projects helped spread prosperity?
    * How do we ensure that women who choose to establish small
    businesses are treated with respect and dignity?
    * Women's economic contribution is under-valued in many places
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    * When it comes to private spending decisions, are women doing a
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    * How can development money targeted women be used as a mechanism
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    Conversations is running this topic as a lead up to Women Deliver 2010, a global conference being held in Washington DC from June 7-9, focusing on delivering solutions for girls and women and making maternal and reproductive health a priority.

    We also invite you to share this e-mail with any e-mail lists, networks, or listservs you may have—help us get the word out about this exciting new conversation!

    We look forward to your involvement.

    We thank you for your time and effort.

    Best,

    Mahnaz

    Conversations for a Better World is a social platform for raising global issues and finding solutions. Tell us how you want to better your community. We're looking for people, organizations, researchers, activists and businesses with ideas for a better world. www.conversationsforabetterworld.com.

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