social ethics class essay 2

8/6/2019 Social Ethics Class Essay 2

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Social Ethics Class Essay 2

World hunger and poverty are conditions that can no longer be ignored. We live

in the age of instant information and communications. The news media outletsbombard us through print, television, and Internet news feeds, about news from all

around the globe. We are kept up to date about natural disasters, political uprisings,

and all manner of plights affecting mankind, which includes the suffering of poverty

stricken people, who are hungry. For those of us that are in the know because we have

access to this instant information we can no longer use the excuse of ignorance to

these facts, in order to massage our conscience, if we continue to stand by and do

nothing. In the following paragraphs I would like to examine some of the reasons for

poverty and hunger and possible solutions to these issues.

Poor health is a reason for poverty because no one can function normally if theydo not feel well, and therefore are not able to sustain life for themselves. Poor health

can include but is not limited to the following.

y Chronic health problemsy Depressiony Drug addictionsy Mentally disabled

Our health or state of wellness, as individuals, is a personal responsibility, first and

foremost. Certain health issues can be passed down from generation to generation

through poor genetic code. Making poor decisions or not taking personal responsibility

for our own individual health only places a burden on our already over loaded health

care providers.

One of the ways that we can overcome poor health is through educating individuals to

take personal responsibility for their own health. We can teach them to make good

decisions about their own wellness and what it takes to make those decisions.

Lack of education severely limits the ability of an individual to compete in a job

market where an increased need for higher education exists. I remember the era my

parents lived in where if you had a college education, you were guaranteed an office and30k per year. That college education could be in underwater basket weaving. If you had

a four year degree then you could get a good job. In that era you also had to have a

minimum of a high school education to get most jobs. Without a high school diploma or

a GED today you are in trouble. The most you can hope for now is some type of manual

labor job making minimum wages.


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Lack of opportunity such as living in a town or city that has a high unemployment

rate is another reason for poverty. Sometimes there are more people than there are jobs

to go around. Depending on your job skills you may be in a situation where the demand

for your jobs skills is lower, than the supply of skilled workers. That causes wages to

drop to substandard levels. The inability to successfully engage employers in a

professional manner or the lack of adequate public transit for people who cannot affordpersonal vehicles to get back and forth to work.

Poor role models is a reason for poverty, when an individual does not have the

advantage of getting the proper guidance, and encouragement, from someone who has a

positive track record, for making good decisions ,and practicing good life skills. If our

parents are not good role models and we do not have extended family that can provide

that example then where will someone get it? The local church or other organizations

such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters could provide that example to help someone get on

the right track.

Poor social skills are a reason why some folks find it difficult to interact with

others in social surroundings, with their peers, or in a professional environment, such as

the work place. If you do not have good social skills, and you cannot communicate

effectively with others, then it will be hard to find or keep continual employment.

As members of society, what responsibilities do we have to help others that are

not as fortunate? It has been established that we are aware of poverty and hunger

through our access to the different news media outlets. Do we pretend to have our

heads buried in sand, so that we can feel better about not helping, or do we feel that the

problems are so overwhelming that there is nothing we can do personally?M

aybe wefeel that if we are law abiding citizens that pay our own individual taxes each year that

the government should take our money and put it where it will do the most good.

Organizations such as Good Will, United Way, American Red Cross and the

Salvation Army are excellent places for people to make donations. Those organizations

have a track record of good fiscal responsibility and are able to effect change in the lives

of people who go to them for help. When we donate money to those organizations we

may feel that we have done our part and then we can get on with the business of living

our lives and let those organizations handle those in need.

I believe that as members of society we are all responsible for doing our part. Ourpart may be tithing to our local church and donating funds to one of many different

humanitarian organizations that are in place and equipped to effect change in the lives

of those in need. I believe that we are part of a thing called community. We may not be

able to affect change in the lives of someone that lives on a different continent but I do

believe that we can affect change in our neighborhood, schools, work place and our

community. We all have gifts and talents that we can share with others who are in need.


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I believe that poverty and hunger are manifestations of much bigger issues and

are a direct result of much deeper problems on an individual level as well as on the level

of the local, state and federal government. I believe that our government leaders who

are in place to enact laws for the betterment of the people sometimes fail to do so.

In our Unit 2 reading assignment we see different theories about the cause ofpoverty and hunger and the pros and cons of doing something about it. Peter Singer

argues that suffering and death from poverty is not necessary, If only everyone would

feel an obligation to give. He further states that individuals can make a difference, and

that people think of giving as charity rather than a duty. Peter Singer also states that

If everyone gave what they really could give, on an individual , local, national, and

international basis, there would be no hunger. This theory sounds practical and

effective when you think about erasing hunger and poverty. The only problem with the

theory is that it does not address the underlying reasons for poverty and hunger that are

listed earlier in this essay.

Yes, we can use money to buy food to feed hungry people. We can build shelters

and provide clothing and medical care. I contend that we should do whatever we can on

the individual, local, state, federal and international levels. We should address poverty

and hunger but we also should address how to identify the root causes of these problems

and find solutions for them. If we fail to do that then poverty and hunger will never

truly go away.

I like what Garrett Hardin says with regards to his metaphor of earth running on

a spaceship economy. Hardins theory was that spaceship earth needed some

stewardship that all nations were interrelated, and what happened in one area of theworld could affect other or all parts of the world. The other metaphor that Hardin came

up with is the lifeboat economy in which there are only so many people in the boat and

at some point you have to decide who can come into the boat and who cannot.

I believe that at some point you have to make tough decisions about resources

that are used to help people in poverty. These tough choices have to be made, so that

precious resources are not thrown away on people who refuse to learn from their

mistakes or take personal responsibility for their circumstances. Those decisions apply

to individuals and all levels of government.

social ethics class essay 2

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