Just before the last Olympic games, I bought myself a wide screen LCD TV. My previous TV, which was around 10 years old, was still doing it’s job OK, but I’d been thinking about a new TV for a while and my mum happened to give me some money as a gift to buy something I’d like. So I thought I’d like a new TV!

And it’s a great TV. I mean, I didn’t buy the bargain el-cheapo brand, I got the latest technology, high refresh rate, super viewing experience LCD TV. Just about anything you watch on it looks amazing.

I’ve noticed though that often when I look at my new TV, I think about the world’s desperately poor people. Not that I didn’t think about them before, but more and more these days I look at the wonderful lifestyle I have here in Australia, and it reminds me about the millions around the world who are struggling to survive.

It was Jesus who said “You’ll always have the poor with you…”. Now I know by that he didn’t mean “so don’t worry about it too much”. I think it’s a really important topic, and that we have a responsibility to help the poor. I’ve heard some people suggest that our rich Western lifestyle is in fact one of the major causes of global poverty (along with other factors). Apart from the disadvantages poor countries have against richer countries, we’re controlling a disproportionate share of the world’s resources. If all 7 billion of us each had a dishwasher, two cars, air-conditioning and a big home, the world probably couldn’t sustain that. In basic terms, some of us are living beyond what is reasonable and others are possibly suffering because of it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there is anything bad in itself with enjoying good things, but sometimes I wonder what I would say if I came face to face with some of the 26,000 people who die every day from poverty related problems. Could I really look into their eyes and say “Sorry, but I really like to watch my football in high definition…”? I can’t deny the fact that I have the ability to save thousands of people – I’ve got way more than I actually need to live on. And my income is below the national average.

I do often give to charity, particularly overseas, but I still struggle with where the right balance is. What’s an acceptable amount for me to keep and enjoy, considering my brothers and sisters are dying from going without?