Thursday, April 17, 2014

Erica's Global Awareness Exercise




The reading that touched me the most was the speech in honor of Aung San Suu Kyi. She was put on house arrest but still was making strives towards a more fair country. She took the leadership role of the opposition party as a female who was willing to stand against much scrutiny. I love how so stood for non violence and pushed to ensure that all of her followers did the same. When she was place on house arrest no one gave up hope. Al continued to fight and continue to fight for a more democratic system of government. She is a great inspiration to never give up and always fight for what you believe in. Suu Kyi stated "To live the full life, one must have courage to bear the responsibility of the needs of others... one must want to bear the responsibility." This quote really stood out to me as she is willing to give up her own freedom in order to fight for everyone.

Currently in Burma, there is still much fighting and actions against innocent people. Barack Obama recently visited Burma in 2012 and said "there is no excuse for violence against innocent people". After 167 people were killed when Buddhist mobs drove Muslims out of there homes, leaving over 100,000 homeless. The controversy over how Burma is to be run is still an issue. Although 9 out of 10 people in Burma are now all Buddhist, the fighting continues.



                        http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116241/burma-2014-countryside-concentration-camps

One country that concerns me is Brazil, specifically the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.  There is much controversy over the effects of deforestation, but one thing known for sure is that is it not benefiting our environment for the trees to be continuously cut down and removed. The wildlife there are suffering as well. Money is the driving force behind cutting down all of the trees due to the fact that there is much to be made in that industry. It affects the U.S because the Amazon Rainforest provides over 20 percent of the worlds oxygen. Without which there would obviously be no life. From an environmental stand point they are also not doing us any good. The Rainforest creates a stable ecosystem and they are destroying it.


5 comments:

  1. I agree with you about Brazil, it's hard to stomach the fact that they are destroying the natural beauty of the rainforest. Though just like Burma has it's controversy about how it's being run, Brazil has similar issues and it's hard for outside countries to tell them what they can and can't do. We will have to find alternative ways for the Brazilian people to make money and survive before we tell them not to cut down the rainforest.

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  2. I agree with you. It breaks my heart to see beautiful trees cut down to build even here in the US! They take so long to grow and are so beneficial to the life cycle.

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  3. I like the quote you used, because one cannot live life to the fullest if they're only living for themselves and no one else. It's really sad what is happening in Burma and the rainforest. I do not believe there are any economic benefits that can justify the destruction happening in Brazil.

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  4. It's pretty selfish how people cut down trees for their own benefit. The wildlife and trees are being affected, and no one really feels for them. The forest is part of nature and getting rid of it would make life there suffer.

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  5. I completely agree with the issue in Brazil. It seems like that U.S. should really be getting involved with this issue considering we are the ones who will suffer greatly in the way we live our lives. I really hope something big happens in the prevention of their deforestation.

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