And therein lies the problem

Sometimes I feel like I write the best blog posts in my mind, just as I'm falling asleep. They're articulate and profound but all memory of the words I used is erased once I wake up. Last night, however, after a long conversation my mind kept whirring. I realised that the reason the world is in despair is because instead of focusing on what makes us the same majority of us pick at what makes us different. We don't take into account the fact that under our skin, beneath our bones, beats the same heart. It doesn't matter the colour of our skin, our caste or creed, our socio-economic background, our social standing, our level of education or the language we speak. We don't realise  the difference we could make just by building solid foundations based on our similarities rather than by building bridges to close gaps on our differences.

While we save up to buy the latest gadgetry or eat out with our friends and families poverty and famine take lives, malnutrition, lack of food, and preventable illnesses cause fatalities that we turn a blind eye to. Why? We, collectively, could have made a difference. Problems exist from developing to developed nations and the root cause remains the same... we don't care. Our worries extend only to our immediate circle of family and friends, if that. For most it's only about the self. Employers don't care about their employees, the government doesn't care about the country's citizens, teachers don't care about the students. It's perhaps a survival instinct, everyone's in the rat race and everyone's trying their hardest to get ahead. Add to that our dependence on material wealth for our happiness and you have, quite essentially, a mess and a half. I was thinking of buying myself an iPad, not for any real reason, but just because I want one. That money, I realised, can send a child in my country to school for four whole years, give them a better education and a better future. Imagine that... something that I would appreciate for perhaps a few months at most has the potential to change someone's whole life and the butterfly effect would transcend generations to come.

I've somewhat lost my faith in people, in humanity. There's still a few good ones. Those who will still stop to help a wounded animal, or feed the hungry, or donate religiously. For others, it's all about themselves, and it's a sad state of affairs. I see it on every level, in personal relationships, at work, on the streets. Everyone's competing. But, for what? And at what expense?

These are just some thoughts, random and rambling. They sounded a lot more collected in my head last night. Perhaps I should become a nocturnal blogger.