Prosperity

A potpourri of points of interest have recently congealed for me, to wit:

Most news aficionados realize that October 17th, 7:46 a.m. EDT marked the birth of the 300 millionth US citizen. What few attend to, however, is that we are well past that mark, already. According to the US Census bureau, allowing for births, immigrants, and deaths, our population grows by one every eleven seconds. At the time of this writing, the population is already twenty-thousand people larger.

Approximately 30 million Americans have below basic literacy skills, claims the National Center for Family literacy. That’s ten percent of the population. Having been a literacy tutor, and through conducting Labauch Literacy trainings, I’ve come to realize how vital literacy skills can be. One out of ten people you rub elbows with may not be able to read their prescription dosages or a simple map.

This is especially astonishing when considering how very much media we encounter through our every waking moment. I have just completed a media literacy unit in my composition courses, citing facts such as, “Four hours of television programming contain around 100 advertisements.” In our country, we are constantly pushed information from every media, yet some people cannot even read it.

All the while, in some remote parts of our world 30 or more children must circulate and share a single textbook. Some philanthropic organizations are doing their dead-level best to recycle books that otherwise end up in our landfills. [Check out www.betterworldbooks.com for example.] In some places, paper is at a premium, but here, it is not respected.

This week, my students chose to read Ursula LeGuin’s dystopic parable, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.” The piece poses a difficult question to the reader: what wrong would you allow/tolerate to sustain a utopia? In the piece, one child is abused, tormented, and kept in a cellar; in exchange, everyone in Omelas lives an idyllic life, even though they are aware of the atrocity. Though written in the early 1970’s, the social commentary is fitting even today. How can the most wealthy, formidable nation on earth still have illiterate, impoverished citizens? How can its 300 million people deny the needs of the rest of the planet?

I have had a brush with altruism, having led an extensive program for college volunteers. Through that endeavor, I was able to try on many volunteer hats myself, addressing issues of poor housing, poverty, literacy, etc. I was able to sleep at night, knowing I had a hand in fielding thousands of volunteers to address these issues and more. Still, I was realistic, and like Ayn Rand, posed the question to myself and my students: “Is altruism truly possible?” In doing good for someone, are we not always reaping reward ourselves?

Oskar Shindler, a Czech born businessman profiteered from the German war machine during the Second World War by exploiting cheap Jewish labor. Through his exposure to the plight of those he abused, he ended up penniless, having saved over 1000 Polish Jews from almost certain death during the holocaust. Near the end of 1993 film, Schindler’s List, his character had a moment of regret, for he felt he could have done more. In an exchange with Itzhak Stern:
Oskar Schindler: I didn't do enough!
Itzhak Stern: You did so much.
[Schindler looks at his car] Oskar Schindler: This car. Goeth would have bought this car. Why did I keep the car? Ten people right there. Ten people. Ten more people. [removing Nazi pin from lapel] This pin. Two people. This is gold. Two more people. He would have given me two for it, at least one. One more person. A person, Stern. For this. [sobbing] I could have gotten one more person... and I didn't! And I... I didn't!

The passage above haunts me. Like Schindler, I feel that I have not done enough. Being responsible starts with being aware. Being accountable follows responsibility. I am fully accountable for the plight of the world. I am totally immersed in the dilemma of the American conscience. Still, I do little about it. Like Schindler, I feel I could do more. I think we all could do more. Prosperity comes at a great price every individual must weigh for himself.