I feel so helpless in a world of so much suffering? What more can I do?

Question

I work in disability services and it has opened my eyes to the reality in which we live. Although the people I work with are less priverledged than many, the reality is, they are lucky compared to the devestation in other third world countries where people with disabilities are thrown on the street. I have a few charities in which I donate and who do great work. I have also recently registered to be a volunteer in Africa. I am one of those people who just think about this suffering all the time and I want to do more. I have debts here in this, my reality which may prevent me from going to Africa and its this sort thing that prevents people from helping the world everyday. What can we do?

Answer 1

That's fantastic that you want to make a difference - the world needs more people like you!  There's plenty you can do.  For example, every day you can go to http://www.thehungersite.com and click the button. The sponsors on the page then donate cups of food for hungry people world-wide. In a 12-month period they donated over 43 million cups and it only takes a second for each person to do and costs nothing!

Then on that site you can go to related sites (breast cancer, child health, literacy, rainforest, and animal rescue) where you can click and sponsors donate acres of rainforest, mammograms, etc. By shopping at the sponsors' sites, even more will be donated to the causes.

At http://www.freerice.com you can play a game of identifying meanings of words. For each correct response, the sponsors of the ads contributes 20 grains of rice.  (It's a fun and addicting site!)

Another way to give to charity without spending any money or volunteering is to use certain search engines. Whenever you do a search, the advertisers pay to a charity - usually you choose which one before searching.

Here's a site that lists a few of these search engines:

http://www.easydonations.net/searchengin...

And one that lists 15 of these search engines:

http://www.doshdosh.com/13-charity-searc...

Now, as far as taking action there are lots of sites with resources and ideas:

http://www.dosomething.org

http://www.care2.com

http://www.sixdegrees.org/

http://www.networkforgood.org/

http://www.betterworld.net/

http://www.metowe.org

http://www.netaid.org/

http://www.change.org/

To make poverty history, go to http://www.one.org if you're in the USA, http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca if you're in Canada, http://www.makepovertyhistory.org if you're in the UK.

If you want to volunteer but can't afford to go overseas right now, how about volunteering online?  Check out

http://www.onlinevolunteering.org/

Answer 2

Well let me see ,I had to wait 41/2 yrs to get my disability , They took away my home my family and my life , You people who work at SSI have ruined my life

The best advise I have for you is to stay here and help those that are disabled get their benefits s in time before they die ,

And know the difference between the ones who need it and the ones who dont ,, DO a better job here to help us ,,

I live in Arizona , and SSI IS the worst ,, How am I to live on 600 a month and pay rent etc,, and help others, should be the question , "Debt you have no clue,,



Like the other person said its their government , You cant change that

Keep your help here. by making sure our guys and girls that get blown up in the war get their benefits with out having to  wait like I did and lose anything else in their life, like I have,,

Answer 3

Participate in The Pencil Project.

www.thepencilproject.com

Easy, rewarding, and gives needy children a way to lift themselves out of poverty through education.

Answer 4

The world has always had suffering, what it didn't have before was a way for the rest of the world to hear about it day in and day out. A lot of the suffering in all parts of the world is due to their system of government. Many organizations try to help only to have their funds and supplies stolen by corrupt government or war lords. Many volunteers get kidnapped and held for ransom. It's not all bad but there are some serious stumbling blocks. As for what you can do, keep doing what you can do, donate and volunteer your time for the people around you.

Answer 5

If conditions were as bad as you imply, the birth rate would be much lower. Do you expect me to believe that those people are so stupid as not to see that what resources are available are lessened by increasing population? What little there is would go farther by dividing among fewer. If it was that bad, they would stop breeding.

Answer 6

If you really want to help, take a second job, pay off your debts, go there and spend you life helping to uplift the poor and downtrodden.    

It will be so touching when you, the rich American (for you are, compared to them), comes to fix all their problems and lead them into prosperity and happiness.  They will be so grateful to you.  They won't take advantage of you because as we all know, poverty and suffering are ennobling.  Yes, poor people are just morally BETTER than everyone else -- that's why there's no crime or immorality in American ghettos or Appalachia.  

Yes, work for your dream of altruism and self-sacrifice.  It will be worth it.  You will be a kind of saint, like Mother Theresa.  And I'm sure that your contributions will make a significant change in things there.

Answer 7

You are one of those little number of people who care for humanity,thank you for your feelings and for your efforts.

Nothing more can be done, just pray God to mercy those weak poor every where.and to have more like you to help them.

Answer 8

I feel the same, ,and these feelings devastates me. There are so much suffering especially in third world countries, and that happens because of the rich societies; we simply take their everything- so, they kill each other in order to get the last piece of bread left. Yes, they do have lots of children- because the children are all they have; and who knows how many of them will survive?

I also feel horrible for animals, and I became a vegan.

Unfortunately, many people suffer from EDD (Empathy Deficit Disorder), and it's impossible for them to understand people like you and me. But, true altruism is in our genes, and you will feel much better than the selfish crowd when you help as much as you can.