My solution to poverty

My solution to world poverty is to save energy and food! I cannot really think of anything other than that because I am a high-school student.

My first encounter with poverty was last winter. I thought the only place suffering from poverty was Africa. However, I found out that poverty exists in the United States, the economically number one country. Last winter, I flew over the Western States to visit some colleges, grandmother’s sister, and my boyfriend. Some people told me that downtown San Francisco is a good place to hang out. However, when I went there, there are a lot of beggars on the street. I was really surprised. I saw some in Korea. Some are on the middle of the street but almost of them are in the subway stations. But in the United States, I never expected to see some beggars on the streets. There are plenty of them. The most surprising part is that they do not look shameful. So I realized that the United States is not the exception. After that, whenever I want to throw away food, I think of people who can not even afford this food. 

Poverty is largely based on a cycle of dependence, not simply a temporary condition of need with a one size fits all solution. Poverty is worldwide. To break out of the poverty cycle you need to become independent, or self sufficient. The old parable: If you give a man a fish then you have fed him but for that day, yet if you teach that man to fish then you have fed him for a lifetime. Rather than using very inefficient "aid in place" systems that we have now, which basically amount to a reward for failure, we need to alter the thinking entirely.

I always have a mind to save food and energy. Whenever I waste my food, I feel bad for people who cannot even afford to that.  I know this is not a smart solution but I cannot think of anything else than that. I think a can drive is a really good idea but only when more than 100 people gather up. I think a change in individual can change a whole society.