A Day In The Life Of A Third World Country
Third world countries are at times misinterpreted, the genuine definition of a third world country alluded to “the nations that lacked an alliance with either the United States or the Soviet Union during the Cold War.” Some examples of third world countries are Africa, Asia, and Latin America. When most people think of life in a third world country you automatically think it’s just a bunch of poor people and scarce supply of food but it’s much more to it than what you think. The title “third world country” refers to countries with high death rates especially in children. Immense amount of poverty is also what you can find followed by a low supply of natural sources like rivers, streams, and lakes. With that being said they have to rely on industrialized countries to help and keep their economy stable. All third world countries aren’t entirely poor they have three sections in which is the upper and lower section with a middle section to fill in between as a way for people to escape poverty. Over the time the meaning of this title has changed and is now a reference to countries that are in financial trouble and depend on other countries to keep theirs overall maintained.
At times you may think you have it bad but look at Honduras for example. Honduras is a third world country because of their illnesses like malaria and dengue that get out of hand because of their lack of resources on clean water and knowledge of the spreading of these diseases. These third world countries governments are more concerned about money than helping children lacking malnutrition dying from the diseases listed earlier mostly dengue.
Like Honduras and other countries listed they are mostly characterized as underdeveloped. In these countries there is a low level of education, improper sanitation, and lack of an access to health care which is what leads to the high death rate.
Sometimes a lot of people complain about how hard it is growing up from where they are from. Not to shoot that line in the foot but a child growing up in a third world country I’m pretty sure would much prefer to swap positions with you. Before I elaborate on reasons why you should be appreciative of not having to grow up in a third world country, let’s talk about why it would be nice. Growing up in a third world country you are able to gain the true feeling and understanding of compassion and appreciation, the two values mostly belittled. These conditions can also change your outlook on life and allow many situations and problems to seem not so bad and or difficult because of the way they had to manage with the little of what they had and make it work. Coming from these conditions can also help you to realize you can make a difference to individuals worldwide who were once where you were and to also be a problem solver. By problem solver I mean you can help people in those unstable conditions gain stability because you were once that person. Above all it shows you to be appreciative of the little things you do have and also how to find the joy in them.
There are a lot of reasons as to why someone would be happy they didn’t grow up in a third world country but I will name a few more obvious or overlooked reasons. In third world countries there is a shortage of food and water and as a result of overpopulation they constantly struggle with starvation, drought, and extreme hunger and thirst. A big problem with many to follow is security issues ranging from terrorism, rape, theft, and even murder. This is basically because there is hardly law enforced strictly due to overpopulation. There are so many reasons with hardly any people to help make these conditions better and less common.
There is always a way for a child outside of these conditions to make an excuse on how a child in a third world country is no different from them, put it this way the fact that you’re an American child or even a child of a first world country you are already out of that comparison rank. Life is much more different for an American child and reasons why will follow. Every day or night we get the luxury of taking a bath or a shower and that is something we take for granted because there aren’t any bathtubs along with any hot water let alone water safe enough to bathe with. A common problem for the American child and mostly any American are creatures like spiders, roaches, and rats. For you, you’d see an occasional bug only with the thanks of a sealed home but imagine what you’d encounter living in a completely exposed room or hut. In today’s society the name of what you wear is all the hype but in a third world country clothing is the last thing thought upon when a child awakes and goes to sleep.
Clothing is not really optional but of course they can make their own things like their common loincloths and such but go into these countries and you would be lucky to see them with shoes on. If it isn’t obvious by now technology is not even thought of or present. It’s completely obvious that today’s teens and shockingly even adults consume their time into at least some source of electronic entertainment may that be a cell phone, television, or computer. You would hardly ever see a child playing outside in today’s world because they would very much rather sit around and play video games. Children of the third world country were raised according to what was known, so anything otherwise is just something that wouldn’t be further looked into because they would very much rather do what they’ve always done. These children actually enjoy the outside, dirt, mud, and true and genuine fun and laughs but on the other note majority of American children would much more rather not get dirty and stay indoors.
Life itself is taken for granted along with the simple things we do like walk, talk, and see. The comparison is not only for the different world rankings but people in general. Life in a third world country is unfortunate but they make the best of everyday of their lives, hoping brighter days are to come. People will complain regardless but before you do think of the situations you could be in and put yourself in their shoes. As time progresses I hope more people reach out and try to provide for or even help these developing countries. Yeah, life in a third world country is crucial but it doesn’t always have to be that way forever. Instead of what they choose to focus on if our government and people would decide to look into more important things like such, our world wouldn’t be so categorized and segregated based off our struggles.
References
- https://pintsizedtreasures.com/how-life-is-different-for-american-kids-living-in-a-third-world-country/
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/third-world.asp
- https://medium.com/@denisesantana/growing-up-in-a-third-world-country-a1670911dcaa
- https://www.globalministries.org/living_in_a_third_world_country_10_10_2014_1118
