Guest post by Erin Lee, author of Crazy Like Me
My poverty is not complete: it lacks me. ~Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943, translated from Spanish by W.S. Merwin
The worldwide economy is in a state today that causes many to doubt any solution to extreme poverty in the next century. Natural disasters, wars, market crashes, debt, political decisions, a lack of natural resources, poor planning, plummeting employment rates, and extreme inflation have many feeling hopeless about where our world and country are heading. As longtime homeowners make decisions between medical care and avoiding foreclosure and the American social security system becomes more threatened, many Americans fear that extreme poverty is where our country is heading. They worry that if they aren’t part of the elite and wealthiest, they will fall into a place of extreme poverty. What they fail to realize is that the richest of all often live in poverty and that those who have the least often live the fullest lives.
To most, poverty is defined as having a lack money, goods, resources, and means to thrive in the world we live. We set national poverty rates based on costs of living and family incomes. Class structures are defined by our incomes, resources, and material wealth. But poverty runs much deeper than the lack of money we have in our wallets, investments, or other material things. In reality, true poverty is a world that lacks empathy and concern for its fellow human citizens. If people would start focusing on the difference between monetary poverty and human poverty we’d be in a whole other place.
Can we, as a human race, overcome extreme poverty in 30 years? Of course we can! We just need to change our thinking. Through public service, volunteerism, paying it forward, and living selfless lives of service, we make one another richer every day. The unemployed woman who spends her days volunteering at a local soup kitchen may go home to an empty pantry, but she does so with a rich heart. The child living in a hut in Uganda without a formal education is wealthier after eating a bowl of rice and soup provided by aid workers who took the time to care. A community blessed by others who come in to serve after natural disaster strikes is wealthy for the love shown to them and the help they receive. When they are able, these citizens often turn around and give back to others in need; a beautiful thing about the human spirit.
The only way to end extreme poverty in our world is through service. And it cannot be done alone. We have an obligation to our neighbors, worldwide, to open our hearts and work together. Through combining our talents and resources, we have the potential to end poverty across the globe. Every individual born has a talent. When these talents are combined, the possibilities for solving extreme poverty are endless. The woman who is good at sewing can make quilts for children who don’t have them. The fabric company with surplus supplies can donate them to her. The child who sleeps with the blanket can wake up warm, rested, and use his natural affinity for science to go to school and learn as much as he can. Later, he can use that education to teach others, invent something of use to society, or help in the pharmaceutical industry to find ways to keep drug costs down for seniors.
Those pessimists who are stuck in the notion that our world is heading for trouble are wasting precious energy and resources. Convinced we’re all doomed to a fate of extreme poverty, they are not thinking of how they could play a role in solving the problem. If each of them were to look at their individual talents, they may be surprised at how quickly they could see how a little gesture toward another human being or group of them can make all the difference. Giving and service are chain reactions that can go a long way – all the way around the globe – toward helping cure this problem.
The American economy hasn’t been the same since the 2001 terrorist attacks and the recession that followed. However, the American spirit has prevailed by people being creative. They have found ways to join together, as we as a country always have, to keep our nation alive and maintain our hope. While we’ve lost momentum as the number one and only world superpower, we have gained in other areas – by being more innovative, by developing alternative fuel sources, and so on. If we put this same spirit and creativity into acts of kindness and paying it forward, we have a chance at rebuilding this nation to as great as it and its economy once was.
Wealth and success isn’t only about the bottom line dollar. It’s also about quality of life and the compassion we are able to show each other as human beings. These days, it’s common to go into stores and hardly speak to one another. Many of our social interactions are done through technology or on social media instead of face to face. While these conveniences often make today’s fast-paced world easier, in what ways to they add to our wealth and spirit?
I believe that in taking a step back, making time for conversation and the old school way of communicating and doing nice things for other people, as well as using our individual talents, we can each find ways to bring more fullness, and in effect, end poverty in both our nation and personal lives. Those who fear poverty need to remember Antonio Porchia’s quote. Poverty can only truly take hold of us if we allow it to. If we make the choice not to allow it to, through looking at our talents and what we can give to others, we can eliminate poverty and make the world a whole, rich, and fruitful place. Then, we can say “Poverty does not exist: it lacks us.”
I do not write these words lightly. In 2010, I was laid off from a ten-year career in a mental health agency. At this time, I felt hopeless. I spent weeks wondering what I would do and worried about how to keep up with bills, mortgage payments and just putting food on the table. With no jobs available because of state funding cuts, I decided to give back to the community as a way of keeping myself busy. I began volunteering for work as a court-appointed special advocate for children; a cause I strongly believed in. This led me to pursue a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy. Since, I have taken my passion for helping others into my writing. I now write novels about children who suffer from abuse, the legal and social services systems, and mental wellness. It is my hope that my own experience of desperation—one I was able to turn into success through philanthropy—will serve as an example to others in similar situations. I believe that if we all work together; we really can make the world a better place.
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Books by Erin Lee
Crazy Like Me ~ View on Bookshelves | Amazon link unavailable.
Wave to Papa ~ View on Bookshelves | Amazon link unavailable.