Do you agree with the statement which says that inequality begins from the very cradle? Some believe that some are born into an easy and sheltered affluence. Others are the children of mean and sordid want. For some the long toil of life begins in the very bloom time of childhood and ends only when the broken and exhausted body sinks into a penurious old age. For others life is but a foolish leisure with mock activities and mimic avocations to mask its uselessness. And as the circumstances vary so too does the native endowment of the body and the mind. “Some born in poverty rise to wealth. An inborn energy and capacity bid defiance to the ill-will of fate. Others sink. The careless hand lets fall the cradle gift of wealth.”
The emotions certainly take their toll. Hopelessness is unbearable. I was once someone that my friends would always look to for a positive thought and encouraging words. I always managed to see the good in every situation. I try my best to hold onto that, but it’s been slipping away quickly. Fear is constant. You’re always afraid of what’s next. I’m afraid of opening my bills to find new late fees. I’m afraid of losing utilities. I’m afraid of being evicted because we can’t afford our rent. You want to think positive, but the idea of “what’s next” is always looming. Things that might seem minor to one person can spell disaster for a family in poverty.
In addition to a lack of money, poverty is about not being able to participate in recreational activities; not being able to send children on a day trip with their schoolmates or to a birthday party; not being able to pay for medications for an illness. These are all costs of being poor. Those people who are barely able to pay for food and shelter simply can’t consider these other expenses. When people are excluded within a society, when they are not well educated and when they have a higher incidence of illness, there are negative consequences for society.
Poverty is isolating. Friends eventually fade away because they think you’re ignoring them when you constantly turn down their invites to dinner or events. They take it personal no matter how many times you insist it’s not. Your children’s social lives suffer for the same reason – you can’t afford to send them to ceremonies due to old clothes. People eventually tire of you being unavailable to come out for fun and they stop calling and texting.
The poor suffer from sickness, illiteracy, limited mobility or disability. They have inadequate nutrition, lower life expectancy, higher risk of disease, and lack access to affordable healthcare and basic education – resulting in low school attendance and achievement. Yet it is the poor who often work the longest hours, in the most dismal conditions and under hot sun.
Poverty leads to insecure livelihoods because poor people are often forced to live in unsafe, unclean housing and in areas prone to crime, conflict, natural disasters and pollution. Many urban poor can only afford badly built housing in areas where pollution and crime rates are high, while the rural poor often live on the less productive, degraded lands.
It is aptly said, “The times talk to us of so much poverty in the world and this is a scandal. Poverty in the world is a scandal. In a world where there is so much wealth, so many resources to feed everyone, it is unfathomable that there are so many hungry children, that there are so many children without an education, so many poor persons. Poverty today is a cry.”
There is a story that speaks of a man assaulted and left half dead at the side of the road. People pass by him and look at him. But they do not stop, they just continue on their journey, indifferent to him: it is none of their business! How often do we say: it’s not my problem! How often do we turn the other way and pretend not to see!
Undoubtedly, if you ignore your neighbor’s burning house, the wild surge of flame swallowing up the innocent occupants and the thick column of smoke, won’t the flame approach your home? Don’t you think that the smoke will go to your own eyes? Wouldn’t your family be burnt by the same flame? Hence, if we just disregard the challenges across our country, we may be, if not the first, the second sacrifice.
Lewis, a famous sociologist, argues that the culture of poverty exists amongst many poor people. According to him, poverty is not the result of one’s disqualification or inability rather it is the result of social and cultural atmosphere in which the poor children get socialized. This passes to the next generation and they will come to know that their expectation of a better life is a dream. Ultimately, they will succumb to poverty and a low morale.
The stony silence of the government officials is very disappointing. The fact is that they live in skyscrapers, eat sumptuous meals, drive costly vehicles; no pains and pressures touch them. Hence, in such a utopian world, how can they realize the meaning of difficulties and poverty in the dystopian world of the poor!
Let’s hope that our officials will feel the anguish of the poor and fulfill their moral responsibilities towards them.