Cosmopolitans should be responsible.

This week my class covered Cosmopolitanism by Kwame Appiah. It was by far the most inspiring book I've read all semester. Cosmopolitanism focused on the idea that all different people from all different cultures are bound by the same common values and humanity. While this book probably won't end wars, ethnic conflict, global warming, or poverty, it did do a great job in making me wonder what my exact place is in a cosmopolitan and globalized world. Appiah's most memorable quote, for me, came at the end of his work: “The people of the richest nations can do better.  This is a demand of simple morality.  But it is one that will resonate more widely if we make our civilization more cosmopolitan”.

After I read the above quote, I tried to think of a real world example so I could make it a bit more relatable. Since I'm in an african studies class, an example regarding starving children in Tanzania immediately popped into my head.

 Let's say there was a young girl who desperately needed food for her starving younger brother, so she went into one of the military bases and stole some of their rations. She knew her actions would never be noticed, much less missed, by her government.  If I looked at the girl as an individual I could say something like, "Well, I believe stealing is wrong, but I guess in this circumstance it is allowable for her."I could also pass judgement on whether she is a thief or a hero regarding her actions. Or, I could step up and stop questioning her morals, or comparing them to my own beliefs. I could move beyond the question of whether stealing was right or wrong and look at the bigger picture. This would call for  questioning what kind of system Tanzania has that would deny food to a majority of the children in their fishing towns, and whether that was ethical. Looking at the government's (un)ethical decisions on how to provide for their citizens seems more important that looking debating the ethics of a desperate child. After looking at that government, I could look at what me and my country could do to help. The more advantaged countries could take a look at the ethics of a system that lets widespread poverty happen right alongside rich governmental buildings. They could implement loans under the provision that they would be used purely on public welfare, or to create sustainable growing options for the future instead of funding wars.

Plans to help Tanzania would provide a greater humanity to the starving children, and would be a much better use of our time than wondering whether a child's individual actions are justifiable. Cosmopolitanism, whether you agree with the philosophy or not, has the right idea in encouraging well-off countries and people to step up and look at the basic humanity and rights we all deserve.

To help starving children in Africa create sustainable organizations, check out how you can donate in the link below.
http://www.trees4children.org/