by Belladora

Created on: October 09, 2008   Last Updated: October 20, 2008

When times get tough people have to get creative. Everyone has a skill or a God given talent that can oblige another in need. Poverty in America is a broken reality that could be mended. Billions of pounds of food are wasted each year. Tons of articles that could be reused dumped in landfills already overflowing.

There seems to be an awakening happening with websites like Freecycle through Yahoo which offers people a way to post things they no longer want or need in towns in your area or therefore close to.

Freeganism are people who wish to have limited participation in consumerism. This group started out in the 1990's. They salvage food to make a political statement, not because they are homeless or poor.

Community gardens offer the chance for people to come together and help each other by planting and harvesting side by side. This encourages education between all. Even children are able to get involved and see the fruit of their own labor materialize from a tiny seed to a food product normally seen in a grocery.

Bartering is a simple way of exchanging needs for other necessities. This could be an exchange of something tangible or labor intensified for a professional need. This system could repair many painful experiences families are going through in our world today.

Medical, housing, food, transportation, jobs and education could all benefit with this program. Boarded up houses could once again become homes instead of eyesores on American soil if land owners could barter these for the labor of the tenants, or take a commission of a new shop that could benefit a community which could inspire other shops to open.

Automobile dealers, service centers, doctors, churches, lawyers, groceries, and clothing stores could barter. The list is completely endless for opportunities. All is needed is a core foundation where clients can find one another and exchange ideas and options.

With the technology of the internet the possibilities are open and waiting. Bartering used to be considered old-fashioned but it worked during the depression. Our society is suffering from greed and lack of morals. How can a nation stand proud when part of the answer is simply joining hands as people.

Sharing isn't about rich or poor. It is the heartbeat of mankind that is passed down from one generation to the next. What can be given without greed and witnessed with the human soul could change the quality of life for all.

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