Tuesday, January 17, 2006

1%

i didn`t realize this until a few minutes ago but today is also the 11th anniversary of the big Kobe Earthquake. Ulala and i watched it on the news and i was reminded of how easily all you have can be taken away and how lucky i have been in my life so far. this past year was marked largely by tragedy and disaster around the world. i read an article in one of teh English magazines here that raised an interesting idea. 1%. donate just 1% of your monthly salary to a worthwhile charity or disaster relief effort. it seems like nothing but in fact is something. and when you have nothing (as so many other people do) anything is something. for me it will mean about 2500yen a month ($25 US). not much, really, but considering that one shelter to last the winter in Kashmir (which suffered a horrible earthquake, in case you have somehow managed to avoid that piece of news) is about 3500yen ($35 US) or that one child can eat for a month for about 3000yen, it really is SOMETHING. after a year that monthly contribution will add up to about 30000yen (about $300 US) or more. not too much, but something, none the less. get a couple of freinds to join in the fun and it can add up quite quickly. think about it.

you can read the original article at Kansai Scene`s website: http://www.kansaiscene.com

No comments:

Post a Comment