Ending it.
No, seriously. Look at it in this way, for the most part the average human being in a first world country produces a great deal of bugger all whilst consuming more resources than he can feasibly put back. As such simply offing oneself provides the world with more space, more resources and less of a drain helping the world more than anything he would have done without living an exceptionally demanding life.
That or there is the option to try and volunteer abroad to help people out in various foreign countries. The problem there is that doing this is merely patching the wound as it takes people of real acumen, guile and moral standing to try and change the problem properly through the realm of politics. Something which is for the most part outside of the scope of ordinary people either through lack of interest or lacking in important skills.
Sapere Aude
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The problem there is that doing this is merely patching the wound as it takes people of real acumen, guile and moral standing to try and change the problem properly through the realm of politics.
edited 7th Nov '10 11:36:34 AM by Carciofus
But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.
I see the Awesomeness.
Get a degree in something like plumbing (or whatever) and then go somewhere and build shit? I dunno.
Fight smart, not fair.
The Institution for the something something Singularity suggests he donate even just a hundred bucks to it.
The offing part I disagree. A person can choose to not expend vast resources and still have a first world life. The average person shouldn't have to do anything. Scientists can study the current optimum resource expediture per person, release this information in easy to understand format (how big your house should be, what you should eat and when, how much you should drive etc), and then you just follow the guidelines and live your life normally and enjoy it.
It's not that foreign aid is useless, it's how we give it that makes it ineffective. Give a little now and then to food banks, international disaster relief and it goes a long way. Canada has 10x less the population of America but the per capita effect of people who just mostly do their own thing but give a little here and there, sometimes exceeds what USA does.
More like giant cherries
All you have to do is try to be nice and honest and be good at what you do, and you will improve the world. You may not see the direct results of what you do, but the actions of millions of people behind the scenes is more than that of any revolutionary or philanthropist.
Blind Final Fantasy 6 Let's Play
Figure out what you are good at, and whatever that is, do it- a lot.
If you don't know what you are good at, then experiment a lot until you do know.
If you find that you aren't any good at something that you think is important (meeting people, expressing yourself, whatever)- forget about it. It's more valuable to the world for you to be really good at something than it is for you not to be bad at anything.
If you suck at something you really cant ignore, partner with someone who is better at it than you, but not as good as you at something else (maybe you're the planner, or the one with energy, or confidence, or whatever). This is a good way to get a business started. Or a marriage.
Find a way to tell the world what you are good at. Someone who really needs that will find you.
When it comes to foreign aid, I'm a fan of micro-finance organizations such as Kiva
("Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day; lend him the money to buy a fishing pole,and he'll pay you back in a few months"). I hear Amnesty International also needs all the help it can get.
In one's general day-to-day life, few days pass without opportunities to be a better/worse person. Go out of your way to be friendlier, more helpful, than what comes naturally. Commit random acts of kindness. Be there when people need help/moral support.
Just my 2 cents.
Where I Watch: My Little Pony
Be an outstanding person who supports the people they meet, being a resource to others isn't a bad thing.
For every absolutely talented and awesome person in history, you can bet that most of them had lots of good friends who were ordinary people lending them their support.
The people you affect are your legacy.
edited 10th Nov '10 4:30:58 AM by Barkey
They see me troll'n
Encourage open and rational discourse within their own country. Nothing fucks up a nation/the world then having that loud idiot extremists controlling a national dialogue, or worse, a country entirely.
My other signature is a Gundam.
Jamais vu
Be nice to everyone, ever. Give them stuff, show you care.
UN JOUR JE SERAI DE RETOUR PRÈS DE TOI
I still think playing chicken with a train has its benefits.
The Shadows Devour You.
Find something you can do that few others can do, that the world desperately needs, and do it. A lot.
EDIT: Oh, and spread the wealth around. Be charitable in your material dealings and compassionate in your interactions. Do unto others as you would want done unto you.
Further EDIT: That last bit does not apply to Death Seekers.
edited 11th Nov '10 7:56:11 AM by GameChainsaw
The term "Great Man" is disturbingly interchangeable with "mass murderer" in history books.
Ghosts' Poet
Find something constructive you're good at, do it well, use whatever surplus wages you get for altruism.
![[down]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_down.png "[down]"){kind=icon}
Fixed
edited 11th Nov '10 7:37:16 PM by yarrunmace
you'll then have a grave in the clouds where you won't lie too cramped
The Shadows Devour You.
^Well, unless what you're good at is destructive.
edited 11th Nov '10 9:41:33 AM by GameChainsaw
The term "Great Man" is disturbingly interchangeable with "mass murderer" in history books.
Permanently Banned
Fight the future.
Requiem ~ September 2010 - October 2011 [Banned 4 Life]
The Shadows Devour You.
^Thats awfully pessimistic Shichi.
The term "Great Man" is disturbingly interchangeable with "mass murderer" in history books.
Help humanity get off this god-damned dirtball.
"If there are any gods whose chief concern is man, they can't be very important gods." - Arthur C. Clarke
So, let's consider a person of average talent from a First World country - he has no exceptional abilities, but he has decent intelligence, a moderate amount of personal funds, a good-ish cultural preparation and the opportunity to devote further time to study, if necessary.
The question is simple. Which activities should such a person consider in order for his existence to cause the greatest net benefit to humanity, taken as a whole?
But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.