The True Curse of Poverty

My English teacher in school, who had come from the rough side of town, said that poverty affects the person inside. It appears to become a curse that stays with them through life. 

The true curse of poverty in the West is not shortage of money. There are very few people in the West suffering from absolute poverty, and the average poor person in America is wealthier than most middle-class people in China, India or Middle East. The problem is the shortage of esteem. These people grow up to believe that they are trash; and they carry that feeling around even if they have themselves been able to rise out of poverty. And of course, however high they rise and however much they accomplish, there will always be some bully to zero in on this feeling and drag them down.

This means that the solution to the problems of poverty in the West is not handouts to the poor, but better treatment of the poor. These people must be made to feel welcome in the world, and they must be made to feel that their lives matter. People from better-off backgrounds need to reach out to them and help guide them toward a more meaningful existence and a better way of life.

In case of the African-American community, I do not understand why the more successful black people do not do more to reach out to the poorer black people. They would not listen to a white man; but they would listen to one of their own who made good. I believe that it is the responsibility of the well-off black people to reach out to their brothers and sisters in the ghetto and give them the knowledge and the inspiration they need to get to a better place.

My daughter has been a humanitarian since she was 1. Her first social interaction outside the family was coming up to a little Malaysian girl and giving her a hug. If a one year old child can love a child from a disadvantaged background, then how much more should we as adults.

There are all sorts of things that people from lower-income backgrounds can do to improve their condition. The biggest problem they face is the mess in their heads. They feel that they are trash, and that prevents them from reaching out to education or employment. Which means that the true way to address problems associated with poverty is addressing this shortage of esteem and guiding these people to a life that they feel to matter.