Effects Of Internet In Our Daily Life

 The internet is a very useful tool for us. We use it either for communication or for resource but by the time passes we start using the internet for different reasons, like entertainment or just to lose some time.

The internet came with advantages as well as problems, some of these advantages might be:

-          Easy communication for everyone, with some of the most used apps like WhatsApp, Facebook or even Instagram, the communication became much easier, because everyone can use it and sending a message is way faster than sending a letter

-          Connectivity and information, nowadays you can be up to date with everything that happens in the world because of social media, if something happens for example the dollar inflation, you just “Google it”

But not everything about the internet is Good, if you don’t use it wisely you might have problems in the future

-          Illegal use of personal information, as we all know, the internet is at everyone’s reach but it comes with consequences, like the lack of responsibility and people take advantage of that stealing their information, accounts or even their money and blackmailing the specific person

-          Problems in their personal life, the excessive use of the internet and social media is causing a lot of personal issues, emotionally and physically. People start to feel lonely or can’t talk in public for the lack of experience

The social media should be a tool the is used for communication with people that matter to you, not just a random person that you find on the internet because you don’t know how many problems that person may give you, either emotional of professional. So people should pay more attention on what young or old people do on the internet because you don’t know if that may affect them.

There is no uncertainty that the internet has made our life become much easier and suitable. By the time passes the internet is still evolving, offering new elements that may be beneficial in our daily life so there is no way that anyone learn everything about every platform. There are tons of advantages of the internet so we can use, but there is also a lot of disadvantages, if used in the correct and in a careful way it can be one of the most important, so it depends of how wisely we use this new tool, besides every problem the Internet has changed our lives in so many ways that we cannot imagine and there is no doubt about it

 

Links:

-          https://whataftercollege.com/internet-of-things/effects-of-internet-on-our-daily-life/#:~:text=Excess%20internet%20use%2C%20of%20social,notable%20percentage%20of%20internet%20users.

-          http://www.mladiinfo.eu/2021/03/31/technology-internet-affecting-everyday-life/

 

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EVERYTHING IS CAPITALISM’S DEFAULT

In the human history has been different economic systems, since slavery and feudalism until capitalism and socialism in the actuality. After the cold war between USA and Russia (then URSS), the capitalism was stablished in occident countries in their majority, which has brought riches for some people and misfortunes for others. Perhaps are more the bad things and those put the capitalism like one of the worst things could happen to the world.

Capitalism is about private actors own and control property in accord with their interests, and how these compete in the free market depending on demand and supply to set prices. Unfortunately, in the quest to accumulate wealth, these actors have perpetuated extractivist models, which oil and natural gas are the first product in the world. It has become evident that these extractivist models cause serious and irreversible damage to environment, like the use of fracking which can contaminate groundwater, rivers, lakes and wetlands, in addition to other risks. Too, capitalism has promoted extensive agriculture and massive ranching, and that has a negative impact in the environment in other ways.

In other hand, the free market is influenced by the consumism, and this has created a necessity in the people to get new products to be “happy”. Nowadays there are many products to consume, such as movies and series on streaming platforms, video games, clothing, food, household appliances, books, etc. These products promise to make people happy, but it is only an excuse for people to consume more and more products. It has been evidenced that when people prioritize fortune, financial success, fame, appearances and material motivations, they tend to leave aside the intrinsic satisfaction of their lives.

In the eagerness of companies to produce and of people to consume, workers have been dehumanized to such an extent that they are considered machines to provide profits to the companies. Long and exhausting working hours, delayed and miserable payments, little or no job security, are some of the things that workers experience in their daily lives. There is even talk of the term "health" and "sickness" from the loss of productivity that employees have.

Evidently this system has a lot of issues and it has brought too many problems to our society, but this doesn’t mean that the socialism or communism are better choices for us. The humanity needs to evolve and to stablish a new system in which we could live in harmony with the environment without losing our individualities and rights, but thinking like a collective.

Recommended articles

http://nuevo.fuac.edu.co/recursos_web/documentos/publicaciones/descargalibros/TOMO3SISTEMASECOWP.pdf

https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2015/06/pdf/basics.pdf

https://www.tni.org/files/download/beyonddevelopment_extractivism.pdf

https://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/hydrofracking_w.html

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019188691631042X?casa_token=5vG2xaH-5yYAAAAA:T0gxCulLqcNdKYIUAIcy5ot1xJ6DVitc8z47bAXvCRZr7ehumWHXZTsDFLl5CmWZ7KBHHs0X

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IS IT BETTER TO STAY OR TO GO?

Every year the amount of people leaving the country is increasing and they have many good reasons to do it. Migrants search for a better quality of life and more opportunities, but are these people hurting our country? Is it better to stay to improve our society and maybe have a better country and increase the chances for the new generation to have a better place to live?  Or is Colombia a lost cost? If the answer to the last question is yes, better to pack our bags and leave as soon as we can. I'm not sure what is the right path, however, these are the reasons I believe emigrating is not a good thing for our country. 

In the first place, many of those who emigrated from Colombia were highly educated middle and upper middle class population. Great professionals that work to improve and create better and more opportunities when away, moreover, mainly of those immigrants were in the working age population. Above all, numeros applied for scholarships that our own government offers, and all that investment got lost through the “brain drain”. As an example of this, I had a friend that I met at the time living in the USA, an excellent student from a very prestigious university. She decided to stay even knowing that she had to return all the money from the scholarship of Colfuturo plus Colciencias. she designed a new product for a company abroad that now is producing profit and benefits, sadly not on our land. 

Secondly, even though the biggest cause of the social cohesion erosion in Colombia is inequality and security, I believe Colombians living abroad can contribute a little as well to this issue.  A lot of people that emigrated can have a negative view of this land, raising a lack of collaboration and compassion for our society. Since they don't feel bound they start complaining and comparing this country with the one they lived in, creating opposite and helpless viewpoints that threaten and weaken our union and positive hopes  about the future. Moreover, people can feel like outsiders, not Colombias anymore. For instance, my cousin said that she wasn't unsure on what nationality she belonged to. Both of her parents were Colombians, but she was borned in Puerto Rico and raised in the USA. She was looking for a group to be part of, and for me she had Colombian blood running through her body, so it is sad that now her kids feel more Mexican and losing ties with all of us, an entire generation watched away. 

Finally, must people living abroad experience expat depression, one of the dark sides of migrating. Cultural changes and language barriers are some of the causes of  developing anxiety and depression. The 50% of expat are at high risk of mental health issues, mostly because of the loss of a support network and not being able to connect with their origin culture. I loved living in the USA, but my husband and I talked several times about how we felt not part of the culture, a horrible feeling of not belonging that stopped us many times to express freely and act as ourselves for the fear of the risk of being rejected or even hurt by someone. We had a lot of reunions with Colombians and even hispanics from other nationalities that had the same experience. So living abroad can be not a happy dream like most people believe. 

I understand all the reasons people decided to emigrate, but we need to think in a way we can help not other countries, that in my opinion will neve be ours. We have to transform this beautiful country into a better place to live with the knowledge of our bright citizens and brotherhood. We all together will help to create a great Colombia for our offspring to enjoy and feel proud of,even if they decide to leave for any reason. so , what choice will you make? Leave or stay? 

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COLOMBIAN CONSCRIPTION SHOULD BE REPLACED

Unfortunately, in practice and in Colombian reality, conscription (also called compulsory military service) is a class-based service, and that's one of the leading reasons why conscription should be replaced, considering that this model will affect each individual differently and will also impact the function they will play in the institution (Military rank) simply because it is a deficient model that takes into account social classes. That means Colombia has a classist and unequal conscription service, which needs to be replaced by different social services.

There are some reasons that I consider relevant to explain why conscription needs to be replaced in our country, and the idea is to spell it out. (It should be emphasized that when the word "replace" is mentioned in the text, it refers to replacing the "compulsory nature" of military service, making it an option, but not eliminating it.)

Firstly, the philosophical and political reasons why I am against mandatory military service are: it's a classist type of service. About 80% of the people who perform compulsory military service correspond to strata 0, 1, 2, and 3 (the working class) so there is a visible inequality. In that order of ideas, one of the postulates of progressive thinking is to disagree that there are class privileges. The practice today has made compulsory military service a kind of punishment for those who don't have many financial resources. In addition, privileged people (greater purchasing power) who choose to join the military in our country have a better chance of starting or getting a high military rank chart because of their influence or money. (not all of them) If you want to grow in the army, most of the time, you need to pay for it. There is a lot of corruption in Colombia, and Military forces aren't an exception. That's why rich people are more likely to get high ranks than people who come from lower-income backgrounds.

Recently, I was talking to a non-commissioned officer friend of the Army, and he told me that people from the upper strata are those who progress in the Army because of their influence; even many of them in a matter of a few months become officers. On the other hand, in most cases, many young people of limited means are and will be private soldiers. Also, I know friends that have been for years in the Army, however, they've failed to advance more than one rank, even if many of them are good at their job.

People should have the freedom to decide whether or not they want to serve their country. Putting it simply: forcing people to do something against their will is a recipe for disaster; I know that conscription is a constitutional duty, but this does not justify that the youth of our country is condemned to be used as cannon fodder. We do not deserve to be sent to die in war, what we deserve are better opportunities to study, work, and progress over time. Perhaps, banning conscription is not a viable option due to all the socio-economic problems of the country. Still, military service could be replaced with social services (only if you don't want to join The Army). That's why I agree with the current government to create an alternative to compulsory military service, and that alternative is called "social service for peace."

According to the articles, military service will not end, but an alternative to this requirement will be made. It also clarifies that it might be provided in the following modalities: "Social service to promote digital literacy in rural or urban areas; social service to work with victims of the armed conflict and the promotion of their rights; social service for the endorsement and fulfillment of peace agreements; social service to promote public policy for peace, reconciliation, coexistence, and non-stigmatization; and social service for the protection of nature and biodiversity."

The youth of this country expects the government to make a gesture of composure and social justice. Hence I like the idea of Social service for peace because it's a great way to replace Compulsory Military service with more reasonable options. Not everybody wants to go to war. If you asked me, I'd say only a low percentage of the population wants to go to the Army or any of the other three institutions of the Colombian Armed Forces (Colombian Air force, Colombian Navy, and Colombian Army).

In conclusion, to replace compulsory military service, I believe that the creation of new alternatives, such as social services, should be taken into account since these will provide a great alternative to young people who do not want to be part of the war. Likewise, we would end an unequal and classist military service, which has persecuted and denigrated young people for decades.

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THE HYDROELECTRIC AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF ITS CONSTRUCTION.

 The growing demand for electricity as a result of socioeconomic development generated for a few decades the need to find solutions and alternatives, the most feasible was the construction of large hydroelectric plants.

To operate A hydroelectric plant uses the fluctuation of large amounts of water for the activation of a turbine that when connected to a generator converts mechanical energy into electricity.

Its principles are basic, however, there is no river or river environment that alone generates the necessary pressure naturally, so large structures called dams were artificially built-in order to contain large amounts of water deviated from the normal flow of a river.

The main problem is that by changing the fluvial condition of the surface of bone waters of  very little flow, the waters having no flow change the geomorphology of the area drastically, the rate of decomposition of organic matter is increased generating greenhouse gasses such as methane. On the other hand, the water loses its concentration of oxygen extinguishing the life of aerobic nature   and, due to the great pressure, the weight of the dammed water totally changes the conditions of the soil generating landslides.

The drastic changes generated by the construction of the dam bring with them the extinction of fauna, flora and native species opening the way to exotic creatures adaptable to the conditions,

Migratory species are also affected by the fact that destroying their habitat also decreases the possibility of acquiring food and shelter.

The construction of these reservoirs affects the conditions of human life because sources of drinking water such as springs, necessary for daily life are diminished. Sometimes populations are forced to move affecting their possibilities of development and self-sustenance, in the process entire crops are razed as well as farms and homes, also those riverine populations whose economic activity was based on fishing are forced to look for another means of income leaving them in ruin.

The exodus of these populations results in the implementation of other agricultural activities such as livestock which require large tracts of land necessary for grazing livestock and planting other types of crops. Additionally, a large number of plots are needed for the construction of new homes, increasing deforestation and the destruction of habitats for animal and plant life.

Other important points about the impact of the construction of reservoirs near civilization is the emergence of different diseases generated by viruses and bacteria in the waters, droughts in different regions that are fed by the river on which the structure was built and the shortage of food generated by the lack of water for the irrigation of crops.

Currently there are strategic proposals for the use of new technologies, some already in the process of implementation and others still in development that collaborate in the reduction of pollution and exclusive dependency of water as the main source of electricity production Some clear examples are:

PHOTOVOLTAIC ENERGY: using solar panels to capture electrons from UV rays, storing the electricity generated in batteries and then being released.

WIND ENERGY: the force of the wind that when moving a wind turbine converts kinetic energy into electricity.

TIDAL ENERGY: it is generated by the movement of the tide, waves or marine currents.

As we can see in the media and daily life, the tools and techniques already exist, however, as long as limiting factors (social, political and economic) are present, we will not be able to see forceful changes in the process of electricity generation that benefits the civilian population and the environment.

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BPA SUBSTITUTES AND ITS EFFECT IN HEALTH

Plastic is a wide word-spread synthetic or semi-synthetic material made up by large  of large molecules called polymers. This material is part of our daily life, and it is present in a lot of things such as cups, disposable dishes, toys and so on. Polymers are big chains of large molecules; the tiny blocks of these large chains are called monomers and they are the basic unit of polymers. To link those units sometimes is necessary to use chemicals called plasticizers, they are molecules that allow the union between monomers. One of the famous plasticizers is a compound named bisphenol A, it is known by its aka BPA.  Once they have been used in the production of plastic, it stays in its structure and can seep from the container or object that contains it.

Some research has shown that BPA can be harmful and lead to many health issues.  As a solution to this problem, some companies released plastic products known as BPA-free. Those products use a wide range of chemical compounds known as BPA substitutes as plasticizers, so they have the same role of BPA in the plastic industry, but they are supposed to be harmless. 

The most common substitutes are bisphenol S and F, normally called by their abbreviation BPS and BPF, respectively. As BPA they can be found in adhesives, water pipes, paper products and other everyday products  such as toothpaste, make up, hair care products, etc.  BPS and BPF also have been found in water, human urine, and sewage effluent. 

As these compounds are subtitles of a chemical of health concert, they  would be expected to be harmless and inert. However, chemical replacements are usually done without testing before going into the market. 

In this case substitutes are very similar in their chemical structure, so they also have similar chemical properties with BPA and with some hormones such as estrogen. The main effects in living beings is as an endocrine alternator, because they can alter hormone cycles. Rochester and their associates showed that these chemicals have  negative effects in vitro and in vivo testes to different species, such as reproductive disruption, induced uterine growth, decreased gonad weight and other effects in the reproductive and endocrine system. 

On the other hand, Sangamitra and others have found that BPS impairs blood functions and induces cardiovascular risk. BPS affects the activity of a group enzyme called erythropoietin, their role is to produce precursors and activate the cell that produces Red Blood Cells (RBC).  BPS inactivates these enzymes, because of that the amount of useful RBC is low and causes different problems such as hypoxia. Additionally, BPS have been found to alter the urea elimination by the kidneys, urea is a waste product and its accumulation in the body can cause heart attack and heart issues.

In conclusion, BPA free products are not an actual solution to any problem or issue caused by BPA itself due their chemical similarity. The most common BPA substitutes are BPF, and BPS have negative impact in health in whatever organism they are present, the effects mentioned in this article were endocrine malfunction, blood alteration and heart risk, but there are more effects reported, even if the studies have been done in species different to humans, they are useful and valid due our similarity to them. In my opinion, this is something we should look at, due mostly to  the effects that these compounds would have in new generations and that  would not only affect us, but also affect other species due leaking of BPS and BPF from plastic stuck in the environment.

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Water pollution - Nicolle Tenorio

 WATER POLLUTION 

Colombia is one of the richest countries in fresh water, yet it is grapping with a water crisis, the conta,mination in the water of colombia can be dated where the process of expanssion of cities of south america began for economic and industrial development. Rivers such as bogota, medellin, cali, pasto and pamplonita which are part of the most important resources of water in the country, are highly contaminated due to direct discrage of untreated effluents, phatogens and various others toxic substances primarily done by the agricultural sector.

 Right now te country is one of the largest producers of gold in latin america, it has recently increased it’s production specially in the departments such as bolivar and cordoba whih in 2014 produced the 90% of colombia’s gold. The impact of gold mining in the enviroment mainly depends on the methods used to extract it. Aditionally this kind of activities demand high volumes of water. Therefore informal mining operations adds pollutions to the water by directly discharging many oils and fuels, studies in cordoba city showed that mercury levels in fishin the baisin of san jorge river exceed the specified threshold 200g, the porcent stablished the world health oganization.

 By all counts when humans consume contaminated fish in the long term they suffer neurological demage and autoimmune dissorders. As another way to see the pollution is the bojaca river which was contaminated with toxic wasting causing an incontriable foam that expanded reaching civilizacion who discribed it smells as something awful and rotten.

 Farming is one of the biggest creators of pollution not only in colombia also in the rest of the world, but from colombia’s point of view theres a lot of breeding centres mostly with cows which contributes to climate change and finally as a result water pollution. Water pollution and rainfall uncertainties are also affecting the stability of agricultural incomes, which are fundamental for thriving rural and remote areas of the country. 

In la guajira For nearly 40 years, conflicts have persisted between the companies involved in the contract and the Wayuú indigenous people, who have denounced, above all, the disappearance and contamination of their water sources. 

The Magdalena River in Colombia is another hreat example, is one of the world's largest tropical rivers, hosting around 170 aquatic vertebrate species. However, concise synthesis of the current ecological and environmental status is lacking. By documenting the anthropogenic stressors impacting the river on time scales ranging from centuries to decades, we found that the river system is subject to the compounding impacts of climate change, river impoundment, invasive alien species (IAS), catchment deforestation, and water pollution. 

While rural communities bear the biggest brunt, urban areas are also heavily affected. According to a report by the World Bank, one third of its population is living under water stress, meaning that they might experience water shortages at some point. Communities have historically used rain water for consumption, but the dry tropical zone is experiencing longer and more intense dry periods, making it harder to rely on this system. Fertilisers used in the palm oil plantations are also polluting the water, causing significant skin and other health problems for those exposed.

Currently colombia’s goverment has been putting effort to reduce mercury levels, for example cali’s mayor service are working hard doing campains to protect the enviroment, then some companies have joined and started to reevaluating gravity as they are relatively simple and they produce little enviromental pollution and also due to the increased costs of flotation reagents. Besides to the awareness miners should be introduce to the new techniques that minimize mercury used or provided with safer alternatives and also the goverment are provining them with technical support.

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

CLIMATE CHANGE 

AND

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Source: https://www.ecologiapolitica.info/justicia-ambiental-y-climatica-de-la-equidad-al-funcionamiento-comunitario/

Liliana Gracia Hincapié

lilianagraciah@gmail.com

    Climate change endangers all life on the planet. Today, almost no one questions this statement, it is a fact; however, all life isn’t affected the same way. In addition to the fact that the life of non-human species is seriously threatened, due to the losing of their habitats and their livelihoods, impoverished populations are the most affected by the environmental crisis. Social inequity has left a big part of the world population without access to basic rights, such as housing, health, food and education, and it is not sufficiently clear how this relates to climate change and environmental justice.  

    The capitalist economic model is the main cause of the environmental crisis, because it is based on the creation of infinite needs in a world of finite resources, and human beings just want  to satisfy these created needs through the exploitation of nature and its excessive consumption. In this race to accumulate wealth many people, in general populations of the global south, have been impoverished and oppressed creates inequality. As a result, a few get richer at the expense of the poverty of the majority.

    Environmental justice makes visible that it is not a coincidence that racialized populations, such as Afro-descendants and indigenous people, and peasants and women, have been the most affected by the consequences of the environmental crisis, because they already were the most vulnerable. Also, it recognizes their situation and how they live in places with natural wealth where the big companies extract a variety of resources,  generating negative impacts for the local communities who suffer from violence, famine, dispossession of their lands, and contempt towards their culture. 

Source:https://idehpucp.pucp.edu.pe/notas-informativas/migracion-y-cambio-climatico-cuales-son-los-mecanismos-de-proteccion-para-los-migrantes-climaticos/

In these conditions of degradation, natural disasters caused by global warming have dire consequences such as droughts, floods, landslides and forest fires, which in turn cause the loss of homes, crops, ecosystems and lives. People who have lost everything are forced to migrate to other places to live in conditions of violence, exclusion and precariousness, becoming climate migrants. This is another of the phenomena that environmental justice makes visible because of its serious consequences, since it is like a domino effect - in which one disaster after another is triggered by climate change - is hitting the poorest communities, which have no chance to recover.

    The environmental drama began decades ago and entire populations have been suffering disproportionately. We need to speak of environmental justice that allows us to understand the consequences of the civilizational crisis in a differential way, as well as to recognize those who are truly responsible for it.

Source:https://viaorganica.org/por-una-justicia-ambiental-mundial/

Sources:

https://justiciaambientalcolombia.org/

https://www.dejusticia.org/nuestros-temas/justicia-ambiental/

https://www.acnur.org/cambio-climatico-y-desplazamiento-por-desastres.html#:~:text=Cada%20a%C3%B1o%2C%20m%C3%A1s%20de%2020,%2C%20desertificaci%C3%B3n%2C%20degradaci%C3%B3n%20ambiental%2C%20ciclones

https://migracionesclimaticas.org/que-son-las-migraciones-climaticas/

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PROCRASTINATE

PROCRASTINATE

“It’s 6 pm and you have just realized that your final project you are been putting off it’s due tomorrow. It’s time to start writing buuut you check your phone, watch videos on youtube, probably you have to make dinner then you will start to writing, but it’s too late, maybe you should try again in the morning”

This is the cycle of procrastination but what is procastinate?

 

It is the act of delaying tasks until the last minute of the deadline “procrastination” — comes from the Latin verb and

procrastinare — to put off  until tomorrow

And Procrastination derived from the ancient Greek word

akrasia — doing something against our better judgment.

it’s not because of laziness as people think and it’s irrational to do something you expect to hurt you. 

However, why are we still procrastinating even when we know it's bad for us?

Well, ironically it is because “our brain is trying to protect us”.

When you realize you need to write your project your brain acts  if you were in a danger situation 

The amygdala (it’s the part of the brain that processes fearful and threatening stimuli)starts to produce hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Then the prefrontal cortex, (the part of your brain which helps to think long term and regulate your emotions) calm down the amygdala. As a result you decide to handle the threat avoiding it.

 

Additionally, there are types of procrastination

There is the perfectionist That Puts off tasks out of the fear of not being able to complete a task perfectly

The Crisis-maker that puts off tasks because they like working under pressure

The Overdoer, that takes on too much and struggles with finding time to start and complete tasks

And there are a lot of others ways to procrastinate.

In the latest years headlines like this have come to life:

Fighting Procrastination among Loan Officers in Colombia

“Microcredit banks may be able to operate more efficiently if their loan officers spread their workload evenly over time, resulting in a more stable cash flow for the bank—but loan officers, like many people, have a tendency to procrastinate.”

We hear a lot of times in our country, a friend or somebody in our families say “i’ll do it tomorrow” or “i need to start this resume” one week before the deadline.

Procrastination is everywhere.

Effects:

When postponing becomes chronic It is to turn your life into a hell. This makes you have high levels of stress and affect your academic performance, financial status, social life, well being, physical and mental health, EVERYTHING

Besides, procrastination can be a result of depression that can lead to self-doubt. When you can't figure out how to tackle a project or feel insecure about your abilities, you might find it easier to put it off.

Procrastination is also pretty common in people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

One reason is that OCD is often linked with perfectionism, which causes fear of making new mistakes. Plus, people with this disorder have a tendency toward indecision, causing them to procrastinate instead of making a decision.

Procrastination itself is not a mental illness. But in some cases, it may be symptom of an underlying mental health condition such as depression, OCD, or others illnesses

How to overcome this??

Well… actually there are many ways to solve this problem. Traditionally, people think procrastinators need to cultivate discipline and practice strict time management but today many researchers feel it's exactly the opposite. Be too hard on yourself can add more bad emotions into the task and make it more threatness

We need to reduce this negative emotions some others methods are

Make a to-do list This will help keep you on track, consider placing a due date next to each item

Make it harder to procrastinate eliminate potential distractions

Identify and address your fears consider what advice you would give to a friend to have perspective

Start with your best or worst task your easiest or hardest oneTake baby steps Break down the items on your list into small and manageable steps so that your tasks don’t seem so overwhelming

In conclusion, it can be difficult to be responsible for our lives and we want to escape from reality, but if we try  hard enough we will stop procrastinating and do the things we have to do.

So stop procrastinating reading this and go to work on your goal right now...

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Poverty in Colombia

 

Poverty is one of the main problems affecting Colombia. According to the World Vision Canada Annual Results Report from 2021, poverty is defined as the lack of sufficient resources to meet the necessities of life - food, drinking water, housing, and clothing; one can also add the lack of access to healthcare, education and even transportation. In Colombia, part of this problem started with the armed conflict that started over 50 years ago and still affects the country, especially the rural areas. This plays a fundamental role due to Colombia being a largely rural country controlled mostly by  people involved in illegal activities that are in positions of power or associated with them. These individuals don’t care about the welfare and inclusion of the less fortunate, so the difficulty of reducing poverty in the country has become almost zero. The gap between classes will continue in this way, and will only continue to widen as those in power only concentrate on satisfying their own greedy and selfish desires, due to the benefit of centralizing and monopolizing wealth, guaranteeing only their own assets and neglecting their duty to the people.vvb

Initially, it’s important to mention that we can consider four main reasons that could be the cause of much of the poverty in the country. In the first place is the lack of access to education in many of the rural areas of the country. Many Colombians in these regions don’t have the resources or basic conditions to be able to benefir from the educational system. As reasons for this, we have the lack of educational facilities and the unstable conditions of most of them, the low coverage of this institutions, the absence and the inevitable lack of preparation of many teachers and their low salary, students and teachers not having the possibility access technology and with this to internet connection, nor to basic public services, etc. These are some of the many reasons why education doesn’t reach these regions, resulting in the inability of children to access the labor market. Resulting in illiteracy, and a lack of opportunities they will have to face to try to live a decent life.

Secondly, and also related to education, is the current deficient educational model. In Colombia, the relationship seen between teacher and student has traditionally been unidirectional, a dynamic in which the student receives the knowledge, but doesn’t process it in an adequate way, this made young people used to a large extent to always receive, not to generate, which results in a big problem. For example, if you want to enter the labor market you have to know how to produce, produce knowledge, income and content, to innovate and use knowledge in diverse contexts, therefore this model prevents young people from acquiring that critical thinking and become capable and critical workers which in the end leads to the fact that they can’t sustain themselves and fall into poverty. (https://www.lapapaya.org/post.php?id=4704)

In third place we have the issue of unemployment, according to the DANE, in September 2022, the unemployment rate in  Colombia’s 13 most populated cities and metropolitan areas, is equivalent to a 10.4 %. This rate represented a reduction of 2.8% points in regard to the same month in 2021 (13.3%), but this is still a high number, we have to also consider that informality is an indispensable category to understand this rates. In September 2022, in the graphics presented by the DANE for the rates of informal employment, this rate was of 58.3%. Of the 23 cities and metropolitan areas, those with the highest proportion of informality were: Riohacha (68.6%), Sincelejo (68.3%) and Cúcuta  (67.9%), while the cities with the lowest proportion of informality were: and Manizales (35.8%), Bogotá (36.0%) and Medellín (39.2%). Considering the above, it should be noted that a large number of people in the informal sector have had a low level of education, and this has become  a big problem, due to the disadvantage that this provokes, it reduces the possibilities of employment in the formal sector and and increases the chances of the unemployment rate growing, as when there is a higher supply to demand, wages tend to fall, which makes companies start applying for more qualified people at a lower cost.

Additionally,  Inflation is another of the main causes of poverty in our country, according to Colombia's National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), in September 2022, it was reported an increase of 0.93%, which would be the highest inflation in the country in recent times. Basic food products such as eggs, rice, and fresh fruits accumulate an inflation of 33%, 31% and 29% approximately. If food is taken out of the bill, the large part accumulated inflation for 2022 would have been 8.32% and not 11.4%.This is a serious problem for people belonging to the poor sectors in the country, since most of their income is destined to food, and barely being enough for it, which will make the cost of living for these people in poverty even more difficult. Since more income will be destined to the consumption of food, and investment for other basic services will decrease, a complex social panorama is created. (https://elpais.com/america-colombia/2022-10-05/colombia-acumula-en-2022-la-inflacion-mas-alta-de-este-siglo.html)

 

The measures taken by the government to reduce this rates have not been too impactful due to the structural nature of the issue, but it has provided some opportunities  for the population. After the economic recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, inequality raised at alarming rates, The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean reported that between 18,9 million and 23,9 million of Colombians live on less than $91 a month in 2020. Trying to participate of the poor decisions being made by the government, one of the strategies pointed out by citizens is the  reform of the tax system, in Colombia the 20% richest colombians receive 55% of the country’s income and the 80% are left with the rest. It can also be pointed out that the earnings of this 20% of people contribute almost nothing to the country’s wealth because they invest in stocks outside of the country or find tax havens that help them to evade the taxes they would have to pay in their country. (https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/guest-view-colombias-struggle-against-poverty-2021-05-11/)

To conclude, it would be important to point out the ways in which Colombia’s government has tried to overcome this gap. The latest efforts have been focused on working in the debt management system, improving policy coordination between national financial institutions and improving existent welfare programs and creating new ones. However, Colombia is another country affected by the rising inflation caused by the Russia- Ukraine war provoking high cost of living that affects the less fortunate. In contrast to this problem, the expectations of some of the population are high due to the election of a president who advocates for a little different take against poverty by  focusing on the access of higher education, restructuring the healthcare system and further improvement of social programs. (https://borgenproject.org/poverty-in-colombia-2/)  On the other hand, another possibly helpful proposal, is to focus on improving competition in the international trade market by regulatory reforms that would boost participations, productivity and growth, (https://www.oecd.org/colombia/colombia-structural-reforms-to-foster-social-protection-public-finances-and-productivity-would-help-optimise-the-strength-and-quality-of-the-recovery.htm)  but due to the heavy humanitarian crisis this reforms can seem less urgent.

 

 

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