Inspiration comes in many forms - U2, Bono and The One Campaign

U2's been my favorite band for quite a while, but I must say that as I see Bono and the group expand their influence and work to change the world for the better, it makes me more than just a fan.  It makes me proud to be a fan of theirs. It inspires me to think bigger and to do something amazing myself. Coming across this clip on Drew Meyers' blog reminded me all over again. Incredibly powerful.

Technorati tags: One Campaign, Inspiration, Celebrity spokespeople, Influence economy

Comments

[Mark Jacobs]

holy crap...that is amazing.

[Ben Hoyt]

Ok,

So here's the thing. And I'm just thinking here. This isn't necessarily my "opinion." I'm not saying that this is correct. So, don't get all upset by this, even though I think it's likely to be a pretty unpopular idea, but: are we really helping solve any problems, by giving money, food, drugs, etc. to people in these terribly conditions in places like Africa?

I mean, so we save a child's life? That's good. Obviously. But, haven't we also served to exacerbate the problem? Isn't that just one more mouth to feed? One more person to educate? One more person likely to grow up and create several more mouths to feed? How is this system sustainable? Are we simply perpetuating a state of dependency? I mean, and I know this sounds really harsh, but hasn't famine basically been an effective method of population control throughout history? Isn't it one of the primary techniques that nature employs with ALL creatures to address unsustainable issues of supply/demand within an ecosystem?

I mean, what I don't see anyone talking about, is what the world is going to look like in Africa 10 or 20 years from now. Let's say that movements like the One campaign DO succeed in generating massive amounts of aid (welfare) for Africa. Are we just signing ourselves up to ship ever-increasing amounts of money and materials over there? Maybe some people are just fine with that, but I think that it's valid thing for some other people to be a little uncomfortable with, too.

I'm really a much bigger fan of things like Kiva.org (microlending) which are predicated on some sort of sustainability; on some expectation that the aid is temporary and that there is at least the semblance of a plan by which the person that you help will eventually be able to support themselves.

I donno. I realize that humanitarian tragedies like what's going on in Dharfur need immediate, decisive, action to stop them. But I want to see how we are NOT creating artificial conditions that allow the population in Africa to grow beyond what African can realistically support in the forseeable future. Otherwise, how are we not just signing ourselves up for an endless and ever-increasing flow of humanitarian aid?

How can we set up ourselves to Control the population? We aren't any better, and some could say that our selfish morals have harmed the planet much more than any potentional 'overcrowding' in Africa. Seriously...this just stinks of social Darwinism. We have enough NOT because we DESERVE it, but because we are either BLESSED or LUCKY. I'm for effective aid, but this attitude bothers me to no end!

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