The+Most+Humane+Humans+(Monica+Mooney)


 * 1) side note: Mr. Barra as you can see I am having some technical difficulties, therefore I posted my completed paper as plain text and emailed you my PDF file. Thank you!

Monica Mooney 6/18/14 Mr. Barra Pd: 8

__The Most Humane Humans __

 In a world of 7 billion people, 6 million have died this year of communicable diseases. 900 thousand are currently undernourished and over 1 million are living in refugee camps. And what about the rest of the people? Statistics show that roughly 300,000 of our population has dedicated their time and effort to changing these staggering numbers ("Worldometers"). Of these people, they make up the hundreds of the international humanitarian aid organizations devoted to changing the standard of life for those suffering and in need of assistance. Humanitarian aid, as defined by the Global Humanitarian Assistance Organization, are acts that come about in times of dire need to assist in the health and well being of a population ("Defining"). Generally this help is received in third world countries, or those suffering from crippling wars, natural disasters, medical epidemics and other similar emergencies. Humanitarian aid is given to those who need it. At times of war, poverty or political upset humanitarian aid is the solution to a seemingly unsolvable problem.**The role of** humanitarian aid in our world extends beyond the sick child that is vaccinated, humanitarian aid contributes "at both individual and organizational levels in order to effect meaningful and sustainable aid intervention." ("Norman") Humanitarian aid exists for the sole purpose of improving the quality of life, while at the same time, it has an equally impacting control on the lives of those that support it.

 The best way to describe humanitarian aid is to think of it as an act of altruism. Any service done for another person demonstrates altruistic qualities, and humanitarian aid is a much more serious form of that. Instead of giving a dollar to a local starving child to buy lunch, humanitarians have been known to donate thousands, sometimes even millions of dollars to support a country suffering from malnutrition and starvation. As substantial as that act may seem, there is often a factor more mind-blowing. If one was to rewind through history, and take note of some of the most famous humanitarians who have made the biggest impact on society and culture, they would find one common characteristic. They are all naturally philanthropic. From a psychological view, one would uncover that these humanitarians have all been shaped by events in their lives that personally motivated their desire to leave a positive impact on the lives of others, an act greater than one an average person could perform.

 For example, think of Oprah Winfrey. Without much knowledge on the media superstar, one can simply imagine all the power she has to make a change in the world. Winfrey is so much more than a retired talk show host and television socialite, she can easily be considered as a modern day Mother Theresa. Utilizing her full potential of assets, Winfrey is able to extract the physical and monetary support to make changes as big as her dreams. Growing up in a home with a single mother and an aging grandmother, Winfrey experienced both physical and mental abuse. She ran away as a teenager, and spent some time in a shelter ("Oprah"). Fast forward several decades and her transformation is astounding. Inspired by her own personal pain, she is currently involved in more than twenty worldwide organizations, ranging from the Red Cross to Free the Children and has even started some charities on her own. Specifically, she associates her seldom instances of happiness in her childhood to the times she spent reading. Growing from a child who used reading as an escape from her less than desirable life, Winfrey now donates millions of dollars each year to charities dedicated to promoting the importance of education (Friedman). Along with this knowledge, it is easy to understand why humanitarians like Oprah, become so easily the face of this movement. At the same time, it is important to recognize the potential in everyone, and like Winfrey has, use that potential to create something beautiful.

 While the colorful results of humanitarian aid paint the vivid picture that the world is a better place with this kind of human intervention, many people still disagree. Even though humanitarians such as Henri Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross, have created organizations that have more members than some countries and in turn are more powerful in terms of social impact, naysayers discount their work. Based on studies conducted at Tufts University, students have compiled examples that prove that humanitarian assistance does more damage than good (Gregor). One source states that aid that is given to third world countries, often times those in Africa who lack social structure, is a waste. They go on to argue that this type of aid merely paints a picture of impossible realities, that these countries are too unstable to utilize such help (Antoine). Another source examined the costly aspect of this kind of aid and posed questions regarding the economics of these situations. This study specifically focused on aid given to regions of Ethiopia, where much more money was spent on improving the livelihood and not the original goal of providing food aid (//"Supporting"//). Unfortunately, this instance is not alone. Several years ago after the 9/11 disaster, organizations from all over the planet were created.

 They support their beliefs they often argue that "every culture that exists has very sophisticated ways of dealing with pain- both physical and psychological" but to believe this, is to miss the main point completely. Like a parent comforts a sick and struggling child, or a teacher aids a failing student, our world relies on the co-dependence of its inhabitants. humanitarian role in our nation truly reaches beyond the on-paper vision of handing over cash to the poor and sending truck of food to the hungry and instead sparks a psychological change in those receiving it. At the same time, supporters of this movement even agree that the idea of humanitarian aid as we know it needs to change. No longer do they wish for this assistance to simply fix the big problem, they want it to prevent it from happening and switch their visions to something "beyond a focus on trauma". With this in mind, humanitarian aid is in no way a "hindrance" to our society, merely an improvement to our flaws.

 So in theory what does this all mean? Regardless of ability, social stature, or monetary value, I believe that every person holds it in their heart to make a change in the world, to be a humanitarian to any extent. Lyrical poet Ken Kragen, once wrote, and Michael Jackson performed "we are/the world, we are the children/we are the ones who make a brighter day.... we're saving our own lives" (Kragen) My personal take away from this research project is that as a society the biggest flaw in humanitarian actions is the short term gratification that comes a result of any good-doings and often blinds the beholder of the meaningful result. From celebrities who act charitable solely for publicity, to teenagers who volunteer just so they could write it down on their college applications, humanitarian effort needs to be based from the heart. Humanitarian aid needs to come from honest motivation, "a heart of naturalness", that is drawn from personal history or passion for a cause, not selfish gains (Fross). The idea that one can leave a positive impact on another's life just by a simple act of charity and then receive equally empowering gifts is truly unique in its kind. Overall, making a difference in the world does not require much. In all honesty, one does not need to be a millionaire, or a famous athlete to be able, simply "a modicum of courage to get out of the boat/and an ample helping of joy/to share with the world." (Fross).

 So in conclusion, ask yourself this, if humanitarian aid equal impacts those who support it and those that receive it, why wouldn't one partake in such actions? To better another is truly to better ones self, so as a whole, this is your call to action to look deeper into your abilities and use them to make a difference. I chose to write this paper out of passion, and interest for this topic, and I hope that in these five pages I have in some way altered your opinion towards this kind of work. Humanitarians are a vital part of our society and there is no feasible way that our world could be even half of its current state without it.

Works Cited

Antoine Hoffman, Charles, Les Roberts, Jeremy Shoham, and Paul Harvey. //HPG Research Report//. Rep. no. 17. Humanitarian Policy Group, June 2004. Web. 12 June 2014.

"Defining Humanitarian Assistance - Global Humanitarian Assistance." //Global Humanitarian Assistance//. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2014.

Friedman, Roger. "Oprah Winfrey's Charities Worth More Than $200 Million."//Fox News//. FOX News Network, 05 Jan. 2007. Web. 10 June 2014.

Fross, Raymond A. //A Recipe for a Life of Piety//. //Goodreads//. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 June 2014.

Gregor, Steven. "Supporting the Workers: Psychology and Humanitarian Aid."//Australian Psychological Society ://. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 June 2014.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">"Henry Dunant (1828-1910)." //- ICRC//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 June 2014.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">Kragen, Ken. //We Are the World//. //We Are the World//. 25 For Haiti, 7 Mar. 1985. Web. 12 June 2014.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">"Norman Borlaug - Biographical." //Norman Borlaug - Biographical//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2014.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">"Oprah Calls on Viewers to Demand Action Against Child Predators."//[|Oprah.com]//. Nielsen Cassandra Ranking Report, 12 Sept. 2008. Web. 18 June 2014.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">"Supporting the Workers: Psychology and Humanitarian Aid." //Australian Psychological Society ://. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2014.

<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">"Worldometers - Real Time World Statistics." //Worldometers//. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 June 2014.

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