Holiday & Heroes
I've had some time off recently. My language course at uni had a 10 day break between Level 1 and Level 2 so I decided to stop having tutoring too and give myself a rest from this language obsesssion. Conveniently, mum was able to visit for 4 days on her way to the UK during this window. It was great to see her and to show her some of the sights of Phnom Penh.
Another thing I did while I was kicking back was to find a new hero. I've got a few of them now. Some are close friends while others are people I've never met in person. All of them have influenced me in various ways, however, and their voices continue to speak into my life. My new hero is.... (drumroll) an economist...(surprised? you shouldn't be!) by the name of.....Dr Jeffrey Sachs.
I don't know if you have heard of him yet? If not, how about Live 8? The Millenium Development Goals? or Make Poverty History? Are we getting warmer? Sachs writes about this huge and often complex issue of global poverty in his book "The End of Poverty".
This book has helped me to find some perspective on questions that I've had in the back of my mind for 10 years or so. The End of Poverty has given me a broad perspective and the incentive to continue reading and researching about poverty reduction in Cambodia. Jeffrey Sachs makes me think seriously about becoming an economist when (if?) I grow up...
Sachs writes about how we can end poverty by 2025. He writes as one who has spent the last two decades wrestling with how to do it- not just in theory but in advising national and international agencies. Sachs believes it is possible to see an end to absolute poverty in this generation. He explains how and why he makes such claims. Interested? Go and buy a copy for yourself! I'm keen to be blogging some more about these unfolding thoughts and I'd love some feedback/ discussion.
For today, let me just give you one quote from the introduction:
"Am I an optimist? Optimism and pessimism are beside the point. The key is not to predict what will happen, but to help shape the future."
In response, if it is possible to Make Poverty History in my generation then in some way I want to be a part of it. It starts as simply as this. I don't want to just sit on the sidelines and wonder. I want to help shape the future.
Got to go- my class starts in 1 minute so I'm late already!
Another thing I did while I was kicking back was to find a new hero. I've got a few of them now. Some are close friends while others are people I've never met in person. All of them have influenced me in various ways, however, and their voices continue to speak into my life. My new hero is.... (drumroll) an economist...(surprised? you shouldn't be!) by the name of.....Dr Jeffrey Sachs.
I don't know if you have heard of him yet? If not, how about Live 8? The Millenium Development Goals? or Make Poverty History? Are we getting warmer? Sachs writes about this huge and often complex issue of global poverty in his book "The End of Poverty".
This book has helped me to find some perspective on questions that I've had in the back of my mind for 10 years or so. The End of Poverty has given me a broad perspective and the incentive to continue reading and researching about poverty reduction in Cambodia. Jeffrey Sachs makes me think seriously about becoming an economist when (if?) I grow up...
Sachs writes about how we can end poverty by 2025. He writes as one who has spent the last two decades wrestling with how to do it- not just in theory but in advising national and international agencies. Sachs believes it is possible to see an end to absolute poverty in this generation. He explains how and why he makes such claims. Interested? Go and buy a copy for yourself! I'm keen to be blogging some more about these unfolding thoughts and I'd love some feedback/ discussion.
For today, let me just give you one quote from the introduction:
"Am I an optimist? Optimism and pessimism are beside the point. The key is not to predict what will happen, but to help shape the future."
In response, if it is possible to Make Poverty History in my generation then in some way I want to be a part of it. It starts as simply as this. I don't want to just sit on the sidelines and wonder. I want to help shape the future.
Got to go- my class starts in 1 minute so I'm late already!
posted by pip @ 5:59 am
5 Comments:
At 10:24 pm ,
Anonymous said...
Glad you like that book - I just posted you a copy for your birthday!! Hmmm...share it with a friend so you can have some good chats :)
At 10:26 pm ,
Anonymous said...
PS - I own it, too, so would love to be blogging/discussing/brainstorming with you. Haven't started on it yet though so you are a bit ahead of me...maybe if you find a copy in Khmer and read that, I might catch up!!
At 9:08 am ,
Anonymous said...
Hey pip, yeah started the book. It is my "4am can't sleep distraction". Up to the middle of chapter three...
Just one comment I liked but would want to think through further is the "falacy" that the rich have gotten rich through exploiting the poor. I agree that it is not a zero-sum equation and that growth can occur on both sides of the equation. But as Australians I think we need to acknowledge the unpaid labour of the country's indigenous people in contributing to the prosperity of our nation.
At 2:25 pm ,
pip said...
thanks for these comments... will blog again on this stuff. I noticed at uni there is a debate on Saturday July 28th on the subject "Is Poverty In The Third World The Fault Of The First World?" Seems like it is a hot topic.
At 11:32 am ,
Anonymous said...
hey bub
it may be hard to believe but i have actually heard of that book (thought of you when i did) and even thought about reading it...think i wrote it down somewhere but forgot so it was a good reminder thanks:) Also just wanted to say that i'll still love you if you decide to be an economist when you grow up.
ps. Glad you had fun with your Ma. Xx
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