The World’s Biggest Problem?

by Global Patriot on July 8, 2009

During a recent Global Patriot Monday Mixer I asked attendees what they thought the world’s biggest problem was, and as Global Patriots, how that problem might be solved. Each person had a different answer, and the topics they selected covered a broad range.

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How Would You Respond?

Now that you’ve watched this video, how would you respond to these very important questions?  Leave your comments below and let us know your views on the world’s biggest problem and how you, as a Global Patriot, would solve it.

EC Gallery – Art As Life

The venue for this event was EC Gallery, located on the corner of 5th and Market in San Diego’s  Gaslamp district.  Newly opened, the walls are adorned with the amazing art seen in the video. Michael Flohr, a modern day master of urban impressionism, is one of their featured artists, as is Christopher M., The Painter of Chefs. It was interesting to see how conversations throughout the evening were inspired by the way in which these artists depicted life in their paintings.

Parisian Nights by Michael Flohr

Parisian Nights by Michael Flohr

Some Like It Hot by Christopher M.

Some Like It Hot by Christopher M.

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  • My view of the biggest problem everyone has is skewed toward the biggest problem *I* have.... I'm overwhelmed. I want to do something... anything... about everything. I want to help end world hunger, stop the melting of the ice caps, end violence against women (against gays, against religions, against all persecuted people), put an end to childhood obesity, cure cancer, find homes for the homeless and unwanted pets. Today alone I donated to three charities: a bike ride for a pit bull rescue, a marathon to cure cancer and another event to help Haiti. Will my little contributions to each make a difference to any? Probably not.

    What is the underlying cause of all these challenges? Beats me. They all seem to come from different directions. I could say, "Why can't we just all get along?" but that is not realistic when we're dealing with so many cultures, so many humans. But I'll keep doing my part, or what I think is my part, to support what I can.
    .-= Beth Ziesenis´s last blog ..Twelpforce: Tech people standing by to help on Twitter =-.
  • Jay
    Beth, the greatest problem in this world is ignorance of God and a life of sin. Knowledge of God and a virtuous life is the solution to all of life's problems. Mother Teresa understood this all too well.
  • There does seem to be an unlimited number of causes that need attention, and I think the advent of social media has simply allowed all these organizations to spread their message to the point that many of us get appeals for help on a daily basis.

    Hopefully the world will, over time, experience a shift in consciousness to address these problems within corporations and governments, as well as through our individual efforts.
  • I think that one of the world's biggest problems is that we don't consider our purchases beyond the price tag. People don't see it as supporting a business, their practices and how they treat their employees.

    It's "too much" for people to think about these things. I think to the way to solve this issue is to do the research and share information that we come across.
  • Good point Mike, as understanding the ethics of the corporations we buy from can have a significant effect on purchasing decisions. If we started supporting those companies who did the most good in the world - polluting less, helping more - that trend would then spread to other corporations at a faster pace.
  • I used to be a firm believer that "education conquers all” and that countries would naturally gravitate towards increased personal freedoms and human rights as the education of their populace increased. I met a young Iranian student in the United States in 1983, who was returning to Iran after college because she felt it was her duty to help influence and change her country’s situation. That’s a very powerful resolve, owing to the state of women’s rights in the country, at the time.

    I’ve become a bit more jaded over the years, but I still feel that an educated populace forms the foundation for socio-economic change.
    .-= Roy Scribner´s last blog ..Weekend Outdoor Reads for February 12th =-.
  • We often lose site of the fact that education is not a universal right, that millions around the world have little education, or they are taught a highly modified version of history. It's no guarantee for success, but overall education serves to move countries forward.
  • I feel a huge problem is that people don't want to emotionally deal with the issues that need to be dealt with. The emotional strength is often not there. An example is the Catholic Priest issue, they got away with molesting children and being protected for far too long because too few wanted to deal with the reality of the Catholic Church molesting and protecting the Priests who molested.

    More recent examples of this phenomenon are the lack of people able to reconcile the fact that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 and that they did not pose a threat to us. Or how few people know about the third building that fell on 9/11 known as World Trade Center 7. Or how many people can admit that the Anthrax sent to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy came from U.S. military labs and were therefore what people would describe as an inside job, and not the work of foreign scary terrorists as first was proposed by most major media outlets.

    We have a lot of work to do.
  • There has always been a reluctance to face facts on certain issues. As you say, the "emotional strength" is lacking, as we would rather think about more positive things.

    No one wants to admit that the group they belong to has done something wrong or has acted in a manner that has caused harm to others, but it is only through addressing the truth that we can move forward and prevent such injustices from occurring again.
  • Mark - I think one of the hardest and most fundamental things we have to deal with is shifting people from focusing on personal responsibility to community responsibility. I've been thinking about this a lot lately (see my recent post on the Cookie Jar Principle) and I see this problem everywhere. There are so many issues and problems that we have to remedy and solve that require us to step outside of our "I act based on what affects me" state of mind into a "I act based on what is good for the community" mind set. This is the hardest jump to get people to make because often people see no personal, tangible and immediate benefit from doing things that are good for the community - Recycling is a small, but good example of this - it's more difficult than not recycling, and requires time and effort etc, so most people dont do it - they don't benefit in an immediate, tangible way. This is why we need aggressive, innovative policy to shift behavior and values. Anyway, that's my two cents. Great post - sorry I missed the mixer. I was on vacation. Glad to be back though!
    .-= Steffan Antonas´s last blog ..The Cookie Jar Principle =-.
  • Quite true, Steffan, that we need a balance between taking care of ourselves, taking care of each other, and taking care of the planet. It's sad that so many ignore this reality and choose to act in a self centered fashion - that behavior in turn results in every more legislation designed to encourage/force a shift in our habits.
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