Lately, life has been really hectic. There has been so much going on, things that I have planned and other things which I have no control over. I feel like I get so caught up in my daily activities that I never take a moment to just look at my life, the direction it is headed, if I am becoming the person I envisioned, or how fortunate I am. There is so much crazy stuff that goes on in this world, and I feel like all of my problems are laughable. I could never imagine waking up in a third world country, not have anything to eat or drink, and to just be engulfed by poverty. Even the idea of having HIV/AIDS is mind blowing. It definitely seems like one of those diseases that will transform every aspect of your life. The stigma that surrounds the disease, secondary illnesses that are all too easy to contract, and the way it would change the way that you view and live life. Just looking at life from that perspective makes a lot of my pursuits and problems pretty childish. I think it is pretty healthy to take a moment and reevaluate your life every now and again. Otherwise, I feel like you will just get so caught up in the moment that you will end up somewhere that you never intended. Also, it seems like you never have that moment of realization until something life altering happens, and personally I hope that it never gets to that point. I feel like this point was really driven home after doing my "Did You Know" section. There is so much need in the world, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, and I feel like I should actively be doing something to help rather than being absorbed in my own life.
Did You Know?
This week I have decided to take a look at Swaziland. As of 2009, there are approximately 180,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Swaziland. (UNAIDS,2009) There is a 25.9 % prevalence rate among adults age 15-49. (UNAIDS,2009) Once again, there are more women than men that are infected with HIV/AIDS, approximately 100,000. (UNAIDS,2009) It is estimated that there are 14,000 children that have HIV/AIDS, and 86,000 that have been orphaned by AIDS. (UNAIDS,2009) Another alarming figure related to women is that in 2004, the HIV prevalence rate among pregnant women was 42.9%. (UNAIDS,2009) As of 2007, there are 58,250 people that need antiretroviral medication. (UNAIDS,2009) Swaziland is definitely one of the countries that have been hit hardest by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
I have also included an excellent video. It is somewhat lengthy but it makes an excellent point. It really depicts just how urgent the HIV/AIDS situation is in developing countries.
There has been many times during the course in which I take a step back and realize how minuscule my everyday problems are in comparison to some of those that I've learned about. I sometimes feel as if I need a life-altering moment in order to define myself and become a better person as a result.
I think its beginning to dawn on a lot of people in this course of the severity of the disease. Despite the amount of information available nowadays, I feel like some people are having a more lax approach after seeing others such as Magic Johnson have a successful recovery.
Magic, has not recovered from his disease because his disease is ongoing. He is HIV positive and lucky for him, he has not progressed to the stage we refer to as AIDS. Lucky for him.
Excellent video. If everyone in this class could afford $100 a month, we could buy generic ARVs and give them to people in Africa through any one of the programs operating in those countries. The difference we could make would be monumental.
There has been many times during the course in which I take a step back and realize how minuscule my everyday problems are in comparison to some of those that I've learned about. I sometimes feel as if I need a life-altering moment in order to define myself and become a better person as a result.
ReplyDeleteI think its beginning to dawn on a lot of people in this course of the severity of the disease. Despite the amount of information available nowadays, I feel like some people are having a more lax approach after seeing others such as Magic Johnson have a successful recovery.
-John Dao
Magic, has not recovered from his disease because his disease is ongoing. He is HIV positive and lucky for him, he has not progressed to the stage we refer to as AIDS. Lucky for him.
ReplyDeleteExcellent video. If everyone in this class could afford $100 a month, we could buy generic ARVs and give them to people in Africa through any one of the programs operating in those countries. The difference we could make would be monumental.