My Thoughts on Child Mortality

After focusing on child mortality for a week, I'm surprised by how dehumanized our world has become. The concept of a child suffering, every single day of his life, because he has no food or because he has no basic necessities met, is terribly sad. And it's not just one kid. Tens of millions of kids are underweight, and millions of kids die before they turn five. When I think about all the moments they couldn't live, and of all the suffering they had to endure, I can't help but feel depressed. Even worse, we--the economically privileged--neglect this. We somehow manage to live as if this weren't happening. My biggest take-away goes beyond having a greater appreciation for what I have, and beyond feeling sorry for a few moments and then forgetting about it. I am now more fully aware of the responsibility I carry as a citizen of humanity. It's not that I ought to solve this problem overnight or meet specific goals, but rather that I must be conscious of this problem--and other similar ones. I must contribute, in whichever way would make best use of my unique capabilities, to improving the situation. I don't have to travel millions of meters to find child mortality in action; I can find it within my own country, and even my own city. Of course, I also feel compelled to help people in other countries, but my greatest responsibility lies within my own. As an economist, I'd be ignorant if I didn't realize that we can't afford to let child mortality continue to be so common. As a human being, I'd be an insensible, selfish piece of garbage if I didn't care about it.