This is a great question that requires a lot of thought.
i think many times we equate poverty with material lack. however, poverty is much more than that. It also encompasses relational helplessness, political silence, social inequality, unequal access to resources/education, etc. etc.
Poverty is also more than just a direct consequence of individual laziness. Sometimes we think people are poor because they don't work hard. However, more and more I see how widespread poverty is systemic in nature which explains why it's so hard to change. Poverty is caused and perpetuated by ingrained habits and patterns of thought that take away from certain people so that others can have more.
I haven't thought too much about what it means to be rich, but I think it reveals that both these terms are highly subjective terms. By what standard do we say someone has too much or too little? In America, most of us have surplus. We may have an old computer, phone, or car, but we have them nonetheless. We complain because we expect more, but maybe the problem lies in our expectations and not in what we have or don't have...
This is a great question that requires a lot of thought.
ReplyDeletei think many times we equate poverty with material lack. however, poverty is much more than that. It also encompasses relational helplessness, political silence, social inequality, unequal access to resources/education, etc. etc.
Poverty is also more than just a direct consequence of individual laziness. Sometimes we think people are poor because they don't work hard. However, more and more I see how widespread poverty is systemic in nature which explains why it's so hard to change. Poverty is caused and perpetuated by ingrained habits and patterns of thought that take away from certain people so that others can have more.
I haven't thought too much about what it means to be rich, but I think it reveals that both these terms are highly subjective terms. By what standard do we say someone has too much or too little? In America, most of us have surplus. We may have an old computer, phone, or car, but we have them nonetheless. We complain because we expect more, but maybe the problem lies in our expectations and not in what we have or don't have...
"maybe the problem lies in our expectations and not in what we have or don't have." bingo! well said.
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