A Closer Look at Poverty and its Causes
Posted on Tuesday, 10 November 2015
A
Closer Look at Poverty and its Causes
By Apolinario Villalobos
Poverty should not only be perceived in a
person who is poor financially and wanting of the basic necessities in life, as
well as, clusters of slums that pockmark the landscape of progressive
countries. No country, even the most affluent is free from this social lesion
that affects the economy and in a way, its overall security. A closer look at
this human state may bring out causes that could have escaped the attention of
the many, thereby, inadvertently disregarded:
1.
TRADITION. This is an
acceptable cause of poverty such as the one that prevails in India. The stern
caste system leaves out a big portion of society to waddle in poverty which the
concerned consider as their fate. Despite the laws that have been passed for
its prohibition, tradition obviously plays a hand in its discreet observance.
2.
RELIGION. This cause makes
poverty as a choice by those who want to be spiritually tough. Advocates of
rigid religions and cults choose the path of deprivation in their quest for the
true path towards their divine destiny. This is a choice among those who
practice Hinduism, and even some cultists who broke away from Christianity.
3.
NATURAL CALAMITY. The aftermath
of any natural calamity ushers in poverty, though, in most cases, only
temporarily. Floods, typhoons, drought, red tide, forest fire, tsunamis, and
earthquake leave people stunned with the sudden loss of hard-earned
possessions. Once fertile fields are inundated for months by several
meters-deep floods due to overflowing lakes, rivers, and rush of water from the
summit of denuded mountains resulting from rains that fall unabated for weeks;
parched lands that used to sustain lean crops are further hideously left with
deep gashes because of years-long drought; earthquakes level homes and
buildings to the ground; tsunamis drag prosperous coastal villages down to
ocean floor; farms and even communities are scorched by forest fire; and
occurrence of the red tide phenomenon leaves fishermen scrambling for
sustenance of their family from other sources.
4.
MAN-MADE CALAMITY. War
resulting from expansionism of powerful nations causes devastation to nations
of their interest. The victim nations are left with no choice but endure the
suffering and hunger. Also, the greed of man can denude forests and deplete
oceans and the land of their wealth due to unscrupulous logging, mining, and
fishing.
5.
SOCIAL EXPLOITATION. This
tendency also results from greed, an innate negative habit of man who is not
satisfied with what he already has on which he can live comfortably. Unchecked,
the greedy can practically drain life from the exploited. No law of the land
can put a stop to this unfortunate practice, especially, in third world
countries, where flawed rules formulated by corrupt lawmakers proliferate. In
these same countries, influential citizens and corrupt government officials lay
claim to vast parcels of forests that they systematically denude of timber or
develop into high-end subdivisions. This practice deprives poor farmers and
indigenous tribes of their traditional rights to the land which had been
cultivated by their ancestors even before the coming of colonizers who brought
one-sided progress.
6.
CORRUPTION IN THE GOVERNMENT.
Simply put, if the government of a country is corrupt, poverty is more than
expected and emphasized. Corruption in the government of course creates
opportunities, but only to the conscienceless corrupt sector of society,
particularly to the pretenders in the government, who steal people’s money and
get rich even with the least effort of their glib tongue.
7.
INDOLENCE. This is a personal
choice, but not for any spiritual reason. It’s just that some people are
incredibly lazy. These humans solicit pity to their “faked poverty” because of
equally “faked physical disability”. Vulnerable friends and relatives, who
unknowingly fell into the trap, sustain their needs. Meanwhile, the
“incapacitated” sit it out the whole day watching TV or enjoy rounds of beer
with friends at corner stores while waiting for their monthly stipend.
Life can be complicated but it is up to us
to adjust to the negative intricacies that come as anguish, misery, agony,
affliction – challenges that may be overcome by the strong in spirit and
body….and which is generally perceived as results of poverty. Such effort
should leave out the choices for spiritual uplift, especially, the inherent
indolence of the parasitical humans that has no “cure” in sight.
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