America vs. the rest of the world

I had a really interesting conversation last night with my new friend Leanne from Canada. We were discussing the difference between America and other countries. It was really interesting to see how we are viewed by the rest of the world and how different we really are. Lewis and I have talked a lot about how we would like to live in another country for a few years to just gain a new perspective on the world and life in general. The more I learn about other countries and how different they are from America, the more I want to just spend some time living outside the U.S.

I don't want this to come off as me being anti-America. I definitely appreciate the blessings and freedom that we enjoy here, but I also know that we can get so consumed and poisoned by the Capitalist consumerist ideals we daily encounter. It's difficult to think outside of our own box. My friend Leanne was talking about how they had an election in Canada recently and I didn't even know about it. It was within the last couple of months. She said that they all heard everything about our election, but we didn't know anything about theirs. They found it absurd that we spend 8 million dollars and 2 years preparing for an election. It's more like celebrity than politics.

America has resources that are absolutely outrageous. I posted earlier this week about Water for Christmas which talks about how Americans alone spend almost 450 billion dollars each year in Christmas gifts, while it would take only 10 billion dollars according to some studies to provide clean drinking water to the whole world. We idolize people like Angelina Jolie who gives a huge percentage of her income away and who spends a lot of time in other countries helping where she can and who also adopts children from other countries because there is such a need for parents to adopt. In reality, we could all give away just a portion of our income or time and make a huge difference in other countries. According to Water for Christmas, $20 can give 1 person water for 20 years. It doesn't take much. Especially in America where so many of us have more than we need.

I would just like to encourage everyone to start thinking a little more about what we can do. A little goes a long way. I like the idea, also from Water for Christmas, where we change our mindset 'from consumerism to compassion.' We really have so much to offer.