Goal for this project

I have a couple of goals for this project. First I just want to experience the challenges of living on such a meager budget. A lot can be learned from experience that cannot be learned from a book. This experience will give me a birds eye view of what it is like to make tough choices each day and to live in a world where affluence is all around you but just outside your grasp.

Second, I want to raise the awareness of people regarding global poverty. Many of the nations that suffer absolutely crushing poverty are nations we may have never heard of, or if we have, only as sound-bites on the news. These are places that contain real people but are often never given a second thought. They are economically insignificant but they still have spiritual significance and therefore I will do my best to shine a light on the disparity and injustice of their situation.

I have several other reasons some personal, some selfish, some altruistic but these two are the most significant so I end this post with them. My ground rules are these; The food I consume will cost no more than $1.25 per day. If I go out, then I have to choose the free options (such as oyster crackers and water at Skyline, or chips and salsa and water at basically ANY Mexican restaurant) instead of food. If someone wants to pay for a meal then they are permitted to do so (hey, if you live on $1.25 a day you are in no position to refuse charity!) but I will limit this to only once per week. I must do my best to eat three meals a day. My experience will be limited to food because I cannot find a way to live entirely on $1.25 a day and still drive my car to work to remain gainfully employed so while this experience will not be exactly like living in poverty, I hope it will be something close.

My hope is that you will read this blog and that you will comment. Join in if you like but I have no illusions of a mass following of people clamoring to starve themselves on a bucktwentyfive a day. Do with it as you will, but do something with it. Do not leave me with your silence. Silence is the enemy because to often, if we ignore it, then it does not exist and we are able to play the part of Pilate and wash our hands of the burden. Join me in whichever way you see fit, but please do something, even if it is nothing more than to pray for these people and hope for a better tomorrow.