For the purposes of this post, we will define poverty as the lack of those things that are required for physical and or emotional health. There are three faces of poverty and we’re going to examine them. Some of you may be surprised to find that you fit in one of these categories of poverty without being aware of it. If so, take heart, it’s fixable.
The very worst kind of poverty is that where basic human needs are not being met. Those basic needs include shelter, food and clean water.
In our modern world there are over 800 million people who fall into this worst of the worst category. People in this category go into survival mode. They will do whatever it takes to acquire their basic needs. Their concern can not be for education, the environment, global sustainability or the well being of others. Their only concern is to do whatever it takes to survive.
The second form of poverty comes out of a lack of opportunity. This may be due to being born in the wrong geographic location or the lack of educational opportunities.
The third form of poverty and the most challenging is self imposed. It is borne out of wrong beliefs that result in wrong thinking and behavior.
You can feed a population, provide adequate shelter and clean water. You can provide opportunities and education for those who lack these things. However, it is the third type of poverty that is the most onerous because it is buried into the core beliefs of the individual.
Now we need to look more closely at these three forms of poverty to understand why they really exist.
Poverty from lack of basic needs
People without basic survival needs lack resources. This might be due to natural disasters such as storms and droughts. Distribution of resources might also be a problem. Though, far from easy, this is the simplest form of poverty to remedy. To clarify, for our purposes here, I’m not defining this type of poverty to include those folks living in squalid conditions with barely enough food to survive. These folks fit into the second face of poverty which we’ll get to next.
If the poverty is the result of natural disasters such as flood, drought, earthquakes, tsunamis or volcanic eruptions. The basic necessities of the people affected can be instantly stripped away or as in the case of a drought eroded. In this instance immediate help is needed or people will die.
I believe these natural disasters bring out the best side of human beings in their willingness to come to the aid of another.
What you can do:
- If you live close enough to the disaster, you can offer shelter for a family
- You can donate to organizations providing disaster relief
- Sometimes you can offer physical aid by going to the affected area (it’s a good idea to check first so you don’t end up being in the way)
- You can donate food, clothing and bottled water.
- You can pay the way for someone skilled to travel to the site of most need
Lack of Opportunity
The second type of poverty, lack of opportunity, is more difficult. It might be due to poorly managed, corrupt, oppressive or impoverished governments. It might also be caused by a lack of educational opportunities for a variety of reasons. There may be no schools available. Maybe the schools that exist have poorly trained teachers. It may also be because a segment of the population is not allowed to attend schools as we have seen happen in some Middle Eastern countries. Religious groups can also play a part in this form of poverty.
Probably the most oppressive government on Earth today is that of North Korea. That government removes the opportunity to learn anything other than government endorsed propaganda. The leader, Kim Jong Un, tries to pass himself as a god to his people and is not hesitant to kill anyone who would whisper a word otherwise. Meanwhile, by some accounts, over half his people live in extreme poverty. Unfortunately, he joins a long list of similar tyrants throughout history. This chunky little “god”, who himself lives in his own form of poverty, will ultimately be dethroned. However, the odds of him being replaced by yet another tyrant are likely. That won’t change until the people of North Korea wake up. Until then, poverty will prevail.
The fear of persecution is a very real contribution to lack of opportunity as demonstrated in the case of North Korea, the Taliban’s tight grip on the people of Afghanistan, the antics of ISIS and the Christian church during medieval period. The reality is if you can strike fear in the heart of a person, they will go into survival mode similar to those that are in poverty because they lack the basic necessities of life. Both real and perceived fear is a profoundly effective control mechanism.
Some radicalized religious groups controlling governments can also enforce a lack of opportunity as can racial, gender and other forms of prejudice. During the days when slavery was a way of life in the U.S. it was illegal to teach a black person to read. Throughout the world, roughly 16% (2012 statistic from UNESCO) of people fall into this category. Two thirds of those that cannot read are women and girls.
Self imposed poverty
We have covered two types of poverty: basic needs are not being met and lack of opportunity due to geographic location or educational opportunity. It’s now time to tackle the most insidious of them all: self imposed poverty.
The people of North Korea lack opportunity, not because they can’t read, but rather because of what they are allowed to read and hear from their media. If what we hear and what we read instills certain beliefs, we can and often do develop self imposed lack of opportunity. We experienced that in the U.S. when the government sold us on the idea that going to war with Iraq was necessary. We were told that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and that he was developing a nuclear weapon. War was necessary in order to avoid the “mushroom cloud.” In this instance, the opportunity to learn the truth was available, but fear was used in such a way that folks were blind to the opportunity to learn the truth. Keep in mind, if you’re blind to something, it doesn’t exist in your reality.
Fear is often used as a means to induce this type of self imposed lack of opportunity. Religions have used this for eons as a means of control. After all, nobody wants to burn in the fires of hell. The idea is if you can get people to believe something bad will happen to them, they will be blind to opportunities to think reasonably and explore other alternatives of thought.
Finally, lack of opportunity might be from a society’s inability to provide good educational opportunities for its youth. This is a complex problem in that it involves both schools and caregivers. Schools should have the ability to provide quality learning materials and teachers. Caregivers should place a high value on education. When both these elements are present the child has the best chance. However, if the caregiver is doing a good job, the child has a good chance even if his or her school isn’t the best. If the child doesn’t believe in the value of an education, s/he too becomes blind to the opportunities an education provides. This is a shameful and unnecessary waste to a society.
Let’s look closely at another aspect of self imposed poverty. Have you ever known someone who seemed to work hard and get nowhere? Have you ever known someone who seems to be plagued by bad luck around every turn in their life? Have you ever known someone addicted to drugs or alcohol? Have you ever known someone who seemed to have it all, but took his or her life? Have you ever known someone who lived in a constant state of depression? Have you ever known someone who always made poor choices in their relationships? Have you ever known someone who constantly sabotaged their own success?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you’ve known someone steeped in self imposed poverty. This is the poverty driven by false beliefs and flawed thinking. Okay, I’m going to provide you with the short form of this problem. If you find yourself in this category, take heart, it’s fixable. We’ll be working on that together a little later, but not in this post. The purpose of this post is to raise your level of understanding. Ready. Set. Here we go.
Self imposed poverty is based on your beliefs
Without getting into the details, suffice it to say, that it is not your eyes that see, your ears that hear, your tongue that tastes, your fingers that feel or your nose that smells. It’s your brain that’s actually doing these things. For instance, when you see an object, your eyes act as messengers that send signals to your brain. Once there, your brain goes to work interpreting what it sees. The same mechanism is true for all sensory input. What that means is the world you experience is based on your interpretation of it.
Here’s how it works. Let’s say you see a black cat lounging on a white chair. Your eyes take a moving picture of the cat. Your brain recognized the image as a cat. It’s a black cat. It’s on a chair. The chair is white. Okay, so far so good, but that’s when things get interesting. The brain then pulls up unconscious memories of cats and adds information to the image. These memories might include sensory experiences such as soft, purring, and maybe even pain. They might also include memories associated with a cat such as cleaning hair off furniture or the pet cat of a loved one. Your brain interprets all this data and comes up with a consensus about this cat.
All of this is your brain’s way of creating reality which may or may not be true. In other words, it’s not the world, but rather your perception of it which creates your reality when it comes to cats. So what’s all this got to do with self imposed poverty? Everything!
It is not the world that creates your happiness and prosperity; it’s your interpretation of the world that leads to prosperity or poverty. Your brain’s interpretation of the world forms your beliefs. Your beliefs determine your behavior. Your behavior determines your level of prosperity or poverty. This process goes on throughout your life and continues to be based on the information your brain receives. That, child of mine, is exactly why you should question your beliefs if you are currently living in self imposed poverty.
Let’s see how all this works using the example of our black cat. Say, while observing the cat you remember an incident where a cat scratched you. (Note: this memory may be conscious or unconscious. You maybe don’t remember being scratched, but your brain does and it warns you by making you fearful of the cat.) You associate cats with pain. Therefore, you might reason that this cat will cause pain. That’s your belief.
Just then, someone you trust comes up to you and says, “That is the most loving cat I have ever known. He loves a good pet.” With this new information, you approach the cat timidly (you still have fear). You reach your hand out to pet the cat, but your fear mechanism is in full swing. Adrenalin is pumping through your system making you ready to move your hand back at lightning speed should you see so much as a hint that the cat might scratch you. The cat rolls over and purrs and you pet the cat. Your belief is instantly changed about this specific cat.
The next time you see a cat; their brain remembers both experiences regarding cats. You now see the new cat as maybe friendly or maybe not. The belief about cats in general has forever changed for you.
It’s all about belief. Whether you thrive and prosper or are steeped in depression and/or other forms of mental poverty depend on you.
Summary
We have taken a peek at the three types of poverty facing humanity. All three types have existed for eons with one major difference. With the advent of technology and the latest research in neuroscience, we are at the best time in human history to conquer all three.
Will it be easy? No. There are many problems in our world today including some we haven’t had to deal with in the past. There are tyrants, oppressive governments. Environmental issues loom heavy with dangers. There’s greed and dishonesty. There’s hate and discontent. However, there’s also compassion and love. There’s integrity and honesty. There are major efforts to solve the problems.
Each of us has a choice. We can be part of the problem or part of the solution. Start by carefully examining your beliefs. Remember that they are your brain’s way of trying to keep you safe. But, they may be wrong. With all the bad news the media spews forth, it’s easier than ever for your brain to tell you that life sucks. I’m here to tell you it doesn’t and this mama never lies. Life is the ultimate adventure. However, you don’t have to believe me. Do your own investigation.
What you can do:
- Support the North Korean Strategy Center (NKSC). You can read about them here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/beyond-the-border-moving-information-into-n-korea
- Support libraries that offer literacy programs
- Support organizations that promote literacy freedom like the NKSC mentioned above.
- Donate to organizations that provide schools or other literacy programs
- Those of us that can read can be instrumental in helping those who either can’t read or lack an understanding of what they are reading by offering to tutor.
- Support programs either through direct participation or donation that offer early childhood education.
- For all that is reasonable, quit listening to the media that spoon feeds you fear and hate.
- Learn to listen carefully and thoughtfully to both sides of an issue before deciding what you think about it. If you read a book, article or blog post on one side of an issue, read one on the other side. Not doing so will not only keep you ignorant and it’s actually bad for your health.
- Educate yourself on the effects negative emotions have on your body
- Educate yourself on the effects fear and other negative emotions have on your ability to think clearly
- Be keenly aware that fear is one of the most common emotions used to control your thoughts and behaviors and watch when that dragon appears.
- Refuse to part of the ignorant masses. Think for yourself.
