by Toni Doswell

Created on: August 28, 2007

Poverty is a destructive force. Deprivation and lack of resources and finances have been the underlying reason for millions of deaths worldwide. Poverty is a force that must be reckoned with if we are to advance as a civilization, or even
in our personal day to day life.

I have seen poverty stretch its morbid hand out to grab victims. If only they had had the resources to procure what they needed to live, pay a bill, buy a car, pay rent, buy food or clothing, they would not have had to suffer the consequences of being without.

Proverbs 10:15 states, "The rich man's wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty. You can see it every day as you walk the streets of any large city. You can see it at the homeless shelter, in the cracks and crevices of abandoned buildings; you can see it stalking the people lined up at the soup kitchens across the nation. You can see it just about anywhere in the eyes of those who are without the necessities of life.

The whys of poverty are many. Sometimes it is a sickness. Perhaps it is a mental illness which prevents one from moving forward to gain the necessities of life. Many times it is living above one's means, or going into business transactions which cause great loss. All too often it is laziness. Of all the reasons for poverty, it is my opinion that laziness, in many cases, is the culprit. When a person is lazy,
they expect society to take care of them, but they do not want to take care of society. They have their hands out, and never extend their hands to help others, except they be recompensed. The lazy are also selfish. Laziness indeed is a big factor in being impoverished.

People who work, whether at a minimum wage job, or a higher paying job, will be able to eat and enjoy some quality of life. It may be termed poverty according to what socio economist call it, but a working person, who lives within their means,
will do better than a wealthy person who lives far above his/her means. I have seen this. I have seen people who have small incomes bring relief to their family members who way above their incomes. That is a travesty, but a reality.

Money management is as much a science as any other study in life. Tips and courses on money management should be an initial part of the educational curriculum as reading, math, science, English, and social studies. It will pay off in the long run and help many young people not to fall into traps which wreck their lives.

Poverty can be helped. People who are in poverty do have ways out. Sometimes it means getting up out of the bed and going to work, or managing money so as to get the optimum out of it, or learning valuable successful techniques which work to alleviate one's level of poverty. Educational programs should be in every locale
to teach people how to reduce poverty. Simply giving money to impoverished families is not the answer. Helping people to work and appreciate, and manage their earnings, I feel, is the best way out.

We will never eradicate poverty, I don't feel, but we can do some things within our scope to help ourselves and others not become a victim in its clutches.

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