Poverty Lessons
What is Poverty?|Poverty Lessons Part IV | Is there an Acceptable Definition of Poverty
Editorial
By DR Rawson - The Possibilist
Nearly everyone is poor by someone’s standards. Almost everyone is happy by someone’s standards. No matter who you talk to, you’re either rich or poor.
What difference does it make?
Thanks for reading another edition of our Poverty Series. We hope that by the time we conclude, you’ll see poverty and its short—and long-term effects differently and understand where you fit in.
What Is Poverty?
By Dr. Gabriella Kőrösi
We can look at a definition of poverty in a dictionary “poverty, the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. Poverty is said to exist when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs.”
It is one way to look at poverty. I grew up with much less “stuff” or things in my life that many people might consider I was poor. Yet, I had everything I needed. I had a roof over my head, that many people do not. I had food to eat and clothing to wear. Sometimes some clothing was a little too small or too big and that was fine, it did not change my life outcome.
I read a story once where a young girl’s father disagreed with the relationship which she chose. She becomes an outcast. She leaves the safety of her home and the young couple tries to make it out in the world. The world is harsh they do not make it. They starve, lose their child, and ultimately they lose their life. Was this the right choice? It was for them. They chose to be financially poor yet their life was rich in love for each other. Although this couple was so poor they could only eat dry bread. I consider the father of the young girl poor. Instead of supporting his child in love now he had lost his daughter, and granddaughter forever. Everybody lost. The loss of life is the ultimate pain the father has got for not supporting his daughter. Unimaginable pain.
Opening our hearts toward others makes us rich in any situation. Poverty can be tied to money in many minds. I believe this is just one way to look at things. Poverty in a material world is extremely hard, yet there is also another type of poverty. The poverty of the heart and soul of the person. Being closed up to love, joy, and possibilities toward others including nature and people. No matter how much money one has one can still be poor.
References
https://www.britannica.com/topic/poverty
Poverty Lessons Part IV
by Annelise Lords
“Poverty isn’t destroying your people as the world thinks. If anything, it makes you stronger, more resourceful, and more efficient than us. But many of you are still poor,” Ingrid said.
“Life demands balance whether humans want to give it or not. Plus, my grandfather believes that wealth, like all things in life, is a personal choice,” Vanessa educates.
“Why would anyone sensible choose to be poor?” she asked.
“I don’t think it’s a conscious choice for anyone,” Vanessa said.
“So, you are saying that many of you don’t know you are poor?”
“Girl, poverty or wealth doesn’t discriminate. People like you do?” Vanessa injected her with. Watching her absorb the truth’s reality.
“I can’t help it, it’s how I was born,” she defends her racist actions, choices, and decisions.
“Nobody was born racist. It was programmed in their mind by the laws, other humans, doctrine, actions, choices, cultures, behaviors, and decisions of parents, families, life, and living,” Vanessa nailed into her subconscious with a sledgehammer of truth.
“Are you saying that racism was taught?”
“You are not very smart for someone who is a racist in the twenty-first century,’ Vanessa said.
“You making it sound as if it’s a fad,” she said without thinking.
“Fashion goes out of style quickly. You should know that.”
“What’s your point?” she demands.
“Our world is in a different state of mind, positions, and power than it was in the last twenty years. America has had a black president for God safe!” Vanessa reminds her.
“So what?”
Nodding, Vanessa continued, “Everyone with a live brain knows that humans enter this world not only naked in body but in mind, soul, spirit, and brain. And for the first 18 years of their lives, some of them become what their parents, society, and their environment want them to be. After that, they have a choice to be who they want to be. What is put in, it determines how they live by their actions and sometimes what fate and destiny say.”
Her eyes popped as she stared at Vanessa, then held her head down as Vanessa waited for her response.
She looked up, confusion changed the color of her face, then asked, “I was raised to believe that anything black is no good. God doesn’t like them so that’s why they were slaves to serve my race,” she incriminated her race and self.
“And what do you think?”
She stares at Vanessa with a blank look on her face.
Vanessa rose, staring down at her, “With all of the success in all areas of life for my race, you believe that? Poverty and wealth. Sickness and health. Good and bad, life and death touch every human blindly.”
“But the media doesn’t show that,” she glared back at Vanessa.
Sitting down, Vanessa demands, “Who controls the media?”
That put her on pause briefly, and she fought back, “the media, courts of law, prisons, and everyone can’t be lying.”
“You have been living in a white bulb for too long girl. They have been making bulbs in many colors for a long time. And every Christmas you celebrate with many different colored lights,” Vanessa said.
“But they don’t make black Christmas bulbs.”
“We are not common. We dominate, we don’t mix well with everything. And we are proud of that,” Vanessa notified.
“One person’s definition of poverty is not the true definition. ~ DR Rawson
By DR Rawson - The Possibilist
My privilege in life is that I’ve been allowed to experience the very worst (or so I thought) and the best very best in life. It was all wrapped around material wealth.
I thought I knew poor until I saw people living in abandoned sharecropper’s shacks. It was at that moment I realized, I’ve never been poor.
Years later I was in the Philippines, France, the Congo, Chad, Nigeria, South Africa, India, and many more. They all taught me that I don’t understand what it’s like to be poor. I also know from experience that we learn so much when we have so little.
In future issues, we’ll also look at poor spirits. You see, poverty is not just about money. Be blessed and recognize the blessings you have.
Until next time,
DR
Thanks for reading,
Dr. Gabriella Kőrösi, Founder
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Poverty strikes some countries way more than others. DR thank you for sharing your experience being in other countries and seeing what poverty is firsthand. I do believe poverty can mean different things to different people based on their experiences. What I might perceive as poverty is not for the person living in it. It is life the way they know it especially if they have never known anything else.
Blessings for normalizing poverty and imho how to embrace it.....
May all poor people help another understand the beauty of Truth that Jesus loves the poor the most!
Peace,
Michelle Mariscal