Poverty And The Poor

I can imagine there are many, probably including this pope, who would disagree with my thoughts on poverty.  This entry is for them.  It is not my intent to upset them more than I already have or change their set minds, as if they even know or care that my blog exists, but rather to provide an alternate perspective for thought and discussion.

Poverty is not a disease.  It has lasted through the ages and cannot be eradicated by donations of money or property.  I will go so far as to say that poverty is a way of life, preferred by those living in it, but despised by those self-righteous people who believe they are demigods with the power to cure all the societal ills on this planet that are caused by everyone else but themselves.

If these self-righteous demigods today were in existence in the days of Herod when Christ was born to the Virgin Mary, they would throw up their arms, fight for social justice for this poor and persecuted family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus.  How could these evil people, they would ask with indignance, subjugate such a nice family to such persecution and such dire living conditions.  This family and families like them must be saved from their unfortunate circumstances.  The pope and the priests would stand on their pulpit and demand an end to persecution and an end to poverty.  This pope would rush to the stable with his entourage and kiss Christ in front of the cameras after a his security detail has cordoned off the stable for his safety.  Hypocrites would stand with the pope and castigate the world for the plight of such families and would then go back home after their speeches and photo opportunities to the comfort of their safe and pampered lifestyles.

They would use this one family of three, prop them up and save them from their wretchedness, by putting them into some kind of housing, but not certainly not equal or better than their own, to show the world their compassion and the good they have done.  I suppose there are acts more repugnant that this but I cannot think of any at the moment.

The need-to-feel-good-about-themselves demigods are always looking a battle to fight against an undefined enemy that they truly but sadly and wrongly believe that they are not a part of because they need to continue to feed their rapacious appetite for their sense of self-righteousness or self-proclaimed holiness.  The one undefined and ever-present enemy is poverty.  To them, it is a chronic disease which no amount of money would be able to cure.  They do not want poverty to go away.  If poverty is eradicated, they would lose the very source that they rely on to mask their ugliness within, then they would have nothing to do but to examine each other and themselves.  One can only imagine the bitter in-fighting within this group with each person trying to outshine the other measured in degrees of righteousness or holiness.  Who among them is truly righteous or holy they would argue and they would peer into each other's closets for "skeletons" to tear down one another.  To avoid this ugliness, they innately know that they must stand united to make permanent, by any means necessary, poverty as well as what they perceive to be injustices in this world.

What are the injustices in this world, what is poverty, as defined by those who clamor the loudest?  As it turns out, definitions are relative to the standards of living and mores of the time that are continually changing and redefined as a result of such changes. [1] For example, water that is not filtered and crystal clear is a sign of poverty even though the water is potable and sustains life, and children without laptops are underprivileged even though Jesus, Cai Lun, Michelangelo, Beethoven, Gutenberg and Einstein had all done quite well without computers.

And what about the lives of the poor?  Should those who are suffering from hunger and disease be left alone when the rest of the world has more food and medicine that they need?  I am not so heartless as to say that they ought to be left alone but I am not so capable as to have the means to help them all.  What I would like to ask is why are people poor?  Why do people give birth to children when they know that their babies will suffer?

Despite the state of poverty that people are in, they still give life.  That proves my point that life, no matter how difficult, is still precious, that love, no matter the condition of the surroundings, still exists.  Mothers still love their children, no matter how poor, and no matter how painful life could be, both mother and child still cherish theirs. 

And are the lives of the wealthy that much better?  What about those who are living a life of lies who have sold their souls for money?  What about those who make so much money who have become addicted to drugs and alcohol?  What about those who have so much successes who still feel unfulfilled or those who overeat who still do not feel full?  And what about those who have so much power who still feel impotent?  Why would a poor family of father, mother and child who enjoy the love they have for each other and for God want to trade their poverty for a life just like the rich and famous and powerful?  Why should they be made to upgrade their lives just so that the self-righteous hypocrites who dance to their "unfortunate" plight can feel good for a while?

What would Christ say to these self-righteous hypocrites who pity Him, His poverty and His family, who unilaterally decide to make arrangements to give Him and His family a "step-up" in living standards? [2]  I imagine that He would say something like: "Away from me, Satan!" [3]



[1] I describe the changing standards of living and mores of the time as changes rather than improvements because I am not sure the changing living standards or gay adoptions are improvements.  My questions are: are we, as a people happier, more caring about each other, living more in accordance to the natural laws and the precepts of Christ and loving God more dearly as a result?
[2] Of course, such a benefit comes with the condition that Joseph, Mary and Jesus be filmed, showing the before squalid conditions and the after new and improved ones so that the documentation can be used to foster good-will for these hypocritical "do-gooders."
[3]  http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A1-11