Cardamom Tango

Some believe in making resolutions and others do not.  I find I often have trouble sticking to resolutions no matter when I make them, unless they have to do with something about which I am passionate.

The crisis in Haiti, and all the effort into increasing awareness around why Haiti is in the political and economic shape it is, have awakened (or re-awakened?) a passion within me for making the world a better place.  It is an easy time to say that: everyone's doing it, and those such as Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson that are speaking against it simply look stupid.

Haiti has been taken advantage of for years.  Any "devil" they may have dealt with has World Bank's pitchfork and the IMF's pointy tail, and is the same one that many deals that devil has made with countries around the world.  I am no expert on the matter, but I wish to become one.

And THAT is the true root passion behind this blog.  I like sustainable living because I wish that I was helping better distribute the world's resources.  I love cooking and hosting because those are the simple joys that everyone in the world should have a right to.  I crave knowledge because it is part of the path to solutions.  Which leads to my New Year's Resolution: I want to read as much material as possible about the reasons for poverty, the history behind failed and failing governments, and the ideas on how to effect real change.

My next post will be my reading list for January and February.  I wish I could read more, but time does not permit right now.

Although I have enjoyed making this post about Haiti into a post about Me, I want to appeal to my few readers to give to Haiti.  International relations are complicated.  That goes without saying.  Money does go to pay overhead costs; that's necessary and not always evil.  Sometimes money falls into the wrong hands, and that is unfortunate.  However, Haiti immediately needs help.  Find a well-vetted organization.  A donation to the Red Cross, for example, will absolutely go to the recovery effort.

I'll leave it at that.  The world is a bit shocked, I think, at the catastrophe that has befallen the Haitians, but we cannot possibly understand, unless we have been through something similar, what the devastation actually feels like on site.