Blog Action Day – Poverty
I find it quite difficult to write about poverty. It’s such a relative term. It can mean anything from not being able to afford your ’5 A Day’ or pay your fuel bill to not even having a few grains of rice to feed your kids.
Over the last decade or so the western world seems to have hijacked the term, and to my mind, somewhat demeaned it.
I hear the word ‘poverty’ more times a day than I can count and going by the context in which it’s used – I have spent much of my adult life in it!
There has been many a winter that I’ve stuck on another few jumpers and wrapped up under a quilt on the settee with my kids just to keep warm because I couldn’t afford to put the heating on. There’ve been quite a few times where nothing but a jam sandwich has been the daily meal. Hand-me-downs have been a constant in my kids wardrobe and they’ve gone more than one christmas with just a colouring book and a few crayons under the tree.
But that’s not real poverty. Or is it?
If poverty is not having the standard of living that is enjoyed by your countrymen…then yes. It is. Or is poverty being devoid of everything that makes life bearable…cos then – no. It’s not.
Poverty is more than just not having much….
Poverty is being stuck. It’s a place that you can’t get away from. It’s a world ridden with disease, starvation and lonliness. It’s a cycle that’s fuelled by high mortality and lack of education. A place where you not only feel helpless – but where you actually are.
And that’s why I don’t live in poverty – because in the end, I’m not helpless.
I got out of poverty. Because I could.
But there are still those that can’t. Those who can’t help themselves. There are places where the very infrastructure won’t allow you to be something more, and that’s where we come in.
It’s not about how many pennies you can pop into the charity box – we’ve all got fewer of those these days.
It’s about keeping the word ‘poverty’ for those who deserve it. It’s about keeping up the pressure on the governments and the organisations of the world that are in a position to help. It’s about spreading healthcare. It’s about education. It’s about knowing that it’s unacceptable for any human being to live this way in the 21st century.
We’re a cynical world, full of doubts that our money is doing any good. Watching governments, oil industries and drug companies sapping the nations that need it most of their natural wealth. So let’s do something about it.
It shouldn’t be up to rockstars to ‘Make Poverty History’ and it shouldn’t be up to us…….but unless we make a noise about it – nothing’s going to change and sooner or later – we’ll forget about it as the troubles of our own lives take their toll.
So while we can -while we’re not yet too damn tired to have one more rage against the machine – just do something. Write an email to your Prime Minister/ President – work with a local school to get books out to kids who haven’t got any. Find out what you’re local Red Cross can do to help……or – if you can – buy a kid a laptop.
I know we’re tired of having to do something to change things – but just one more click on either of the links above – or one more letter to a world leader can be the one that makes the difference.
My dear friend. Poverty is relative. It about oneself. Always has been. A third world family, have to get water from the river and send the smallest child twice a day to fetch it. They eat rice and whatever else they can. They live in a hut no shower. What we have to remember is that their simply life may be simply wonderful. Not the daily stresses of a European family such as yours.
Another family in a different third world country may have running water, but no food. They may have medical needs that are so important their lives depend on it. It\’s relative. Both to the situation and the family.
If you study sociology there are many types of poverty. From absolute to relative. The absolute poventy is the tragic one. Famine, disease, death.
In Britian poverty is apparent. My dear one – reading that you have gone without heating bothers me. Not for you but for your young ones. I wrap up – don\’t have the heating on. Struggle but that\’s ok because its only me. And Manfred cat who gets my attention with a blanket over him in the cold.
Think about you and your peace of mind. The rest of the world will struggle aways.
You can only do so much.
hey i no about not paying bills i have had nom heating all winter cant afford gas funny tho still paying internet bill ???? what does that say duno lol