To be transparent, I own a MacBook Pro, typing on it at the moment in fact. I have owned an iPhone too. It doesn’t make me feel good. I don’t try to rationalise it though. I have made the decision that I don’t care enough to not purchase it. Of course I could buy a dell or an HP, but it would be naive to think that they aren’t built in similar conditions.

We all live in a western culture which silently promotes the suffering and abuse of the poor. Most make themselves feel better by rationalising it, saying that the poor should feel privileged to serve at our feet and have a roof as a reward. Others try to help with $30 a month donation to a needy cause in a far away land.

Until we all understand that we are the cause of the problem; from drinking our coffee, wearing out cotton t-shirts, texting on our phones, we aren’t going to help our brothers and sisters on the other side of the planet or the other side of our fence (Kidscan estimates 200,000 children in New Zealand live in poverty). When we stop rationalising our exploitation of the misfortunate, we might then be able to start talking about a solution.

There isn’t a lack of resources, there is just a minority of greedy people. A minority which includes you and me.

So good, I love how often and successfully he takes the mickey out of some of USA’s media.

Just need to come up with some more posts like that one and I could get the site pumping.

Watch the video.

Check out his progress and videos at walkingtheamazon.com

Twitter account is amazonwalkers

I think this video is best at summing up the Walking the Amazon experience

What is wrong with Cho? from Walking the Amazon Videos on Vimeo.

Taken from the website this explains what it is all about

What is your aim?

To create an adventure so exciting that it can be used to make people feel that they have a connection to the Amazon, its wonders and its problems, by being the first man ever to walk the entire length of the Amazon River.
Why are you doing this?

Walking the Amazon is not an eco-warrior campaign against deforestation or an activist project for indigenous peoples’ rights. It is a world-first expedition, first and foremost, and it is designed to draw attention to the complexities of the Amazon rainforest.

Ed is an expedition leader and writer by profession – he reports what he sees and what he is affected by. He is personally passionate about stopping deforestation but is of the opinion that to get people to listen, we need to enthuse and inspire them that the Amazon is worth worrying about, rather than forcing arguments down the throats of those that don’t care.

So the focus is on creating an adventure so exciting that it can suck people into the Amazon so that they can see it, touch it, smell it and know it. Essentially the more people that care about the Amazon the better.

It is crazy to think that for the last 2 years of our lives Ed has been busy walking the Amazon. I follow him on twitter and it is very interesting reading each of his tweets. Follow him on twitter and lets see if we can get him some more sponsorship!

Good on you Ed!