POVERTY

If I understood my history lessons well, then I believe in the time of the early man the word poverty had not been born. I guess one did not need a number of trees or caves to fit into that society at a time. The growing hunger and quest for better things have carved a materialistic world in which the lust for distinction has crafted millions of people called ‘poor’.

By poor I don’t include the following category:

-          Not being able to own a car

-          Not being able to own your own house

-          Not being able to afford international holidays in fancy hotels

-          Not being able to belong in a certain class…

The list can not be fully exhausted. I won’t be surprised if three quarters of the world’s population considered themselves poor.

Do you know that the mere coat that has sat in your closet for years untouched could serve as shelter, a blanket, a bath robe, and a dress to someone out there?

Do you know that there exist people who give thanksgiving should they have that pair of shoes you dumped in the can because it was not a recent design?

…

I could go on and on. I have heard and even said that if one is poor, perhaps they were lazy or are paying for something they did. We have these many fancy reasons we blind our hearts with. Sometimes we just ignore with the excuse that we don’t have enough to make a difference in their lives. I can go back in time and I remember a world built of communities. There was time when men were their brother’s keepers.

There are all kinds of poverty in our world; financial poverty, spiritual poverty, emotional poverty, etc…As the quest for materialism accelerates, brotherhood deteriorates. The world is growing into a jungle of animals fighting to crush each other to grab more. No matter how much men tend to grab, their thirst only increases.

It started as a quest for better living and later progressed to materialism and later the quest for power which has left millions poor financially, morally, spiritually and emotionally. As years go by the gap between poor and rich widens. Gradually an insignificant minority will come to exist which will control the world according to its whim because it won the power tussle.

Unless we realize our priorities are out of place and start bridging the gap; we will one day wake as slaves to the ones who won in the power tussle. The world belongs to no one. It is just a place left in our stewardship. The diversity of the planet is enough to let us understand that our existence depends on us working together for the common good of everyone.

When you walk out your door and see that guy who has been living on the streets for years, look again with concern because that may be you if that business deal goes bad and the bank claims you house. As hard as it is to build all the mansions that lift your nose in the air, like Rome all can be gone in a day. No gift given with love ever returns void. There are suffering people out there; people who have not had shelter for years, children raised in the cold of the streets, families going on days without food. How much do we have that means absolutely nothing to us? How much do we just throw away? Do we intentionally close our eyes? Get down your high horse and hit the streets. Go to the poor of poor. Open your heart and eyes. Your coat can give warmth to someone through a harsh, cold and lonely night.  A loaf of bread can hold a stomach long enough for someone to get a miracle. Every human being deserves a life, a love, company, and hope.

Poverty is real. We all need to help. Will you?