TED Conversations

benjamin abegunde

Founder, YIESMAN

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

How does one not acquiesce to suffering?

After I finished watching Natalie's talk , I showed my roommates and of course we all were inspired. Then I asked a question that, "why is it that the citizens of western nations seem to be so eager to help but while we here in the east seem to accept and in a way acquiesce to the hardship around us?"

The only conclusion I came up with is that when you see suffering 24/7 especially in Nigeria, you are tempted to just see it as the norm. Even after relocating to Nigeria I have been tempted to do this.

So the question is how do we prevent this?

Related Talks:
+6
Share:

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.

  • Kayode Otukogbe

    • +3
    Dec 4 2011: Do simple things consistently and conscientiously and you would have changed the world in your own little way. Live within the realities of your immediate enviroment but with a simple mind of "a heart at a time" touched with goodness from you is better than a grandiose idea that certain realities of your immediate enviroment migth make almost imposssible.
    • thumb

      David Hamilton 50+

      • 0
      Dec 4 2011: Just so you know, my only point about family size was in the cultural context. Talking about and ecouraging, a focus on small well educated families in regions of great poverty, is one of the little things you can do to help encourage a strong social structure. If a family with two workers, has one child specifically, it is much easier to get that child a higher priced education, but in regions of great turmoil, of course, it is a risk, that you will lose your one.

      Religion, has made this a difficult thing to talk about culturally, but it really is one of those little consistencies that helps make a community more profitable, and strong, in an everyday, conscious way. That, and most birth control programs are already underway, and easy to support. Talking about condoms, encouraging women to make men wear them despite the fact they're awful... these are little conversations people can have, that go a long way. Birth control, and encouraging a focus of resources on one or two children, makes it easier for social structures to thrive and educate their young.

      Talking about those things and influencing your local community, is something we're actually failing to do in America once again, condom use is down... Porn is replacing casual sex though, there are lots of weird cultural problems, or solutions, that Americans aren't really comfortable talking about yet, coming into play... but my point is that all cultures, would do well to remind themselves to try and talk about traditional family structures, birth control, family size, and even the taboo subject of sex in general, in a more open, intellectual way. I would suggest this is at least one of the little ways you can do good work. Certainly not the only.

      I link this talk a lot, but that's cus it's a great one http://www.ted.com/talks/zimchallenge.html
    • thumb

      benjamin abegunde

      • 0
      Dec 12 2011: Bravo! Divide and conquer it what that seems like, as well as focusing.
      Most helpful!

Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.