Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves. --Edwin Way Teale

WE KNOW

We know what goes on in the world.
We’re able to help but we don’t.
We stand by and watch the less fortunate suffer.
Why, I ask, but no-one seems to hear me…
I need to be heard.
Step out of the darkness.
Come into the light.
Let’s help the children.
Let’s take flight.

– Kennedy Madden, Harlem School of the Arts

If you're reading this blog, you probably found a tag hanging off a coat you wanted to purchase or actually did purchase. You might just be curious as to why there was a label that didn't represent the brand or price of the coat or you might really want to help make a difference. Regardless, I hope that after reading about the Need/Want Campaign, you might want to make some kind of a change in your personal lifestyle to better the world as a whole (because yes, every person DOES make a difference), even if it is just donating an old coat (or two, or three) to a less fortunate individual, to help them get through the colder season with a little more ease.

Materialism. We all know what it is and as Americans, I think it's pretty safe to say we are all undeniably guilty of it. Obsession and Greed are it's middle names. As children in other countries don't have clean water to drink, enough food to eat, books to learn from, and shoes for their feet, we are, individually, splurging thousands and thousands of dollars each year on "stuff" we don't need. You know what I'm talking about -- updating our old cell phones which were still perfectly good, buying the newest iPod touch, shopping for the latest, most trendy clothes and shoes, or the fastest, "cutest" car, most of which are eventually thrown away (piling up in landfills, only destroying the Earth more than it already did during the creation of the darn thing) so we can move on to the next "coolest" thing. And that's just what they all are -- things, stuff, completely unimportant and insignificant to the whole of our lives. And for what? Because we have the means to buy this stuff, because we are greedy and selfish and blinded to the reality of it all. While some people are sitting in their luxuriously furnished living rooms with their feet propped up watching their 72" plasma screen TV, texting their friends on their brand new iTouch cell phone, surfing the web on their laptops, wearing their name brand clothes, all while eating a fat meaty sandwich, families are starving, catching diseases, and dying because they literally don't have the means to SURVIVE. But what do we care? We have everything we need, want, and more, so who cares what's happening to anyone else around us or thousands of miles away? I think you're probably getting the picture. Now I'm not saying all of this as if I'm some saint who does no wrong and helps everybody, because I'm just as guilty of all of this as the next person. Materialism is like a disease -- it's contagious, it spreads fast, and it's hard to stop. But to make our world a better place, materialism seriously has got to be controlled in some way, or at least more awareness of the situation needs to be made in some way. We need to do something that really gets put in people's faces to make them feel guilty about it and their careless, selfish ways. Something that might really engrave this problem into people's heads, even if only SOME people, that might really make them change their "materialistic ways" in some manner, and maybe even want to help make a difference... every effort, and every person really can lead to a change.

Think about this:
At least 80% of the human population lives on less than $10 a day.

So here's where I come in. I am an Art Major at a university in Baltimore, MD and for my Social Design and Entrepreneurship class, we had to address a social issue using geurilla tactics -- an "in your face" tactic to get people to want to change their ways about an issue, in our case, a social issue. I chose to design clothes tags that just might get people to realize that they don't really need that coat they were thinking about buying, and if they do choose to buy it, that they would donate one of their old coats to their local donation center (i.e. Goodwill or Salvation Army). Or maybe just to open their eyes about the unnecessary nature of our materialistic ways and that we can change and we can make a difference, one step at a time.

Now think about this...

• More than 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day and more than 2 billion live on less than $2 a day
• Approximately 600 million children live in extreme poverty
• Approximately 9.2 million children under the age of 5 die each year, mostly from preventable diseases. That's approximately 25,000 children each day
• 75 million children are out of school around the world, a figure equivalent to the entire primary school-aged population in Europe and North America
• The richest 20 percent of the world's population receives 75 percent of the world's income, while the poorest 40 percent receive only 5 percent of the world's income Statistics are from the World Bank and the ONE Campaign (http://www.onedayswages.org)

If you were them, wouldn't you want our help?

So do good. Next time you're out shopping, stop and think, "Do I really need this, or do I just want it?" It's a fine line in American society. Whether you bought that new coat or not, donate something to someone in need. I'm sure you have plenty of "things" that you don't use and don't need. You'll probably feel much better getting rid of things that are really just taking up space and feel good knowing that you're doing good.

Another good way to help globally is by visiting http://www.outreach-international.org/about-us/ where you can help by making a secure, tax-deductible donation to Outreach International, supporting sustainable solutions for children, families, their communities and environment worldwide. Every dollar counts. "Whatever your age, whatever your interest, [they have] a way for you to get involved," to help make a difference.

"Sunglasses 24 euro, Access to water 8 euro"

Materialism Photo Campaign by Cordaid http://thejustlife.org/home/2008/08/22/materialism-photo-campaign-by-cordaid/

Share your own stories -- if you bought that coat or not, your reactions, and what you chose to do or want to do about it, and any other ideas on how we can help. And just remember, every person, and every act does make a difference for somebody. Change happens one person at a time -- be that person, be that change. Don't ever think that just being one person, you can't leave a positive footprint in the world. -The Need/Want Campaign

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Ghandi