Two Billion Miles

I only really read these boards, and post once in a blue moon, but I saw something tonight on the channel 4 news I felt was worth sharing.

They showed report about the mass migrations of refugees, which estimated that if you added up the distance covered by refugees this year alone that it would come to two billion miles!

That's 80,000 times around the world or 8,000 times to the moon at back! It's staggering.

To go with the report, they also created a website twobillionmiles.com/ where you can put your self in the shoes of a refugee, embarking on the journey to Europe. I found the decisions hard to make, and am glad that I will hopefully never find myself in a similar situation.

Do you think it's a moral obligation to take in refugees, or should a way be found to always keep them in or near their home countries, or even that's nothing to do with us?

I think that everyone has the right to safety, and that we need to do more to help people.

Comments

  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,038
    2 billion miles- the thought is staggering. It kind of gives an indication of how many people in the world are displaced. And that most of these people are refugees due to idiotic political and/or religious reasons rather than natural occurrences like earthquakes or floods (those happen as well, of course) is what makes this so awful.

    How we can respond and help is difficult? Tough question. It's like asking, should we distribute wealth evenly over the 7.3 billion people who occupy the earth? According to various estimates, if we did that, each of us would get between $7,500 to $9,000 per year and because only 15% of all "money" is cash, that means of that $7,500 to $9,000, only $1,125 to $1,350 cash per year. How many of us are willing to do that? For about 5 years in the late 1990's with no one to fend for but myself (i.e. no kids) I lived on about that much money and those were very difficult years. Most 1st world people would be unwilling to do that. I would not willingly do that again.

    So yes, we who have so much would do well to share what we are able and willing to but also you can see why I am glad I did not reproduce (although I did help raise kids) and support Family Planning and Zero Population Growth. The world would do well to lower our numbers as quickly and humanely as possible and boycott and speak out against cruel regimes.
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • MayDay10MayDay10 Posts: 11,727
    Maybe we can put them on some sort of turbine and produce energy with it?
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,038
    MayDay10 said:

    Maybe we can put them on some sort of turbine and produce energy with it?

    LOL (and, of course, I only laugh at the irony). Some corporate hack is probably scheming on Wall Street as we speak. :wink:
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













  • mickeyratmickeyrat Posts: 38,594
    MayDay10 said:

    Maybe we can put them on some sort of turbine and produce energy with it?

    so become energy production slaves while fleeing war, famine etc......

    got it.
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  • MayDay10MayDay10 Posts: 11,727
    I was being satirical.
  • brianluxbrianlux Posts: 42,038
    I'm guessing we're all on the same page with this.
    “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
    Variously credited to Mark Twain or Edward Abbey.













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