Resources, Reparations

Save a safe space for the weary travelers fleeing home. The are tired and scared. Changes abound as the global migration patterns point north and west as war and climate change ravage the planet. We must make all homes habitable. There definitely has been a lack of development in nations that often give resources to Western countries. Sometimes, in countries with less wealth there is a tendency to take and not give back. Reparations for these countries giving so much of their resources and human strength to the richer nations are needed and necessary. I think often of what Jamaica would be like if resources came in as they came out. People will spend their money on a vacation there, but they rarely see the failing schools, the lack of infrastructure and the hungry people feeling inflation just as much as the rest of us. I think of what Africa would be if what has been taken out was given back. The vast amount of minerals that come out of Africa would boggle the mind. Instead of developing infrastructure, security, schools and healthcare, wealthier nations just take and take and take. Sometimes they even prop up corrupt government leaders to finance their taking by turning a blind eye. Leaders must give back because the disparity is wreaking havoc on smaller governments who need assistance managing their populations. I remember once Jamaica asked for assistance from England and the response was that they would build a prison. Is that the solution for people of color? A prison. Reparations would go to the rebuilding of people. Poverty causes problems. The solution is to tackle the problems from birth, increasing schools, making sure everyone is nourished, trusting stable governments and guiding governments on how to create a structure that cares for all. Yes, there will be challenges, but it can be done. In the Congo, people are trying to protect the marshlands and trees from development. This happens to be a massive storage place of carbon dioxide that would increase climate change tenfold if disturbed. Why are both Eastern and Western countries and businesses there making bargains for logging, pitting neighbor against neighbor? This is wrong. All the people there ask for is a roof for their school. Why can’t children in Africa, the most resource rich place on the planet, get computers and desks in their schools? Take, take, take. Black, brown and indigenous people are trying to protect their land but there is little consequence for businesses and their countries that profit from resources not their own. And when Black, brown and indigenous people flee their home in search of a better life, they are unwelcome in the lands of the same takers. We must change things. Our world depends on it. The wellbeing of the majority of people depends on it. If people could stay in the land of their birth with the resources they are entitled to, many would. I want to see more help going to countries where the people are fleeing. Stop taking resources and not paying the true cost.

Update: I’ve been thinking about the violence in Jamaica and the lawlessness that holds innocents in fear of crime. Maybe a jail along with education and healthcare reform would be helpful in tackling problems. So, I will say that crime defeats the purpose of a civil society. Maybe England’s offer should be considered. We do need to get criminals off the street and away from law abiding citizens.