Witnessing these things from the insulated background of middle-class America (which I am not knocking, I feel extremely blessed and ever grateful for the hardships I have been spared!) leads one to pontificate the multi-faceted and complex problem of poverty. In Ruby Payne’s research she postulates that there are seven resource areas, and that the absence or presence of these resources affect whether a person is in and can get out of poverty. I think there is a lot of credence to the fact that poverty is a state that involves so much more than the fact that someone is not investing in their 401k. Living in two worlds that are vastly different from one another brings a lot of questions to my mind (Becky wrote a great post on this). What causes some people to be willing to sacrifice their morality, physical and emotional health, and sometimes their relationships to secure a better place in life while some people hold fast and withstand their hardships to patiently wait for something better? What gives people the strength to endure while others are so fragile? How much of the ability to stand strong is choice and how much of it is just the resources that are already available to us? As I ask these questions I am already thinking about what answers I would hear. I know that some people will say that is is the presence of Christ in someone’s life and their willingness to rely upon him that determines how well someone can come through difficulties having made wise choices and grown from it. I don’t dispute that, but I also know that it takes form in many different ways and that we can’t oversimplify that process. Each experience is almost as unique as the person that is experiencing it. I have heard a lot people talk about how it is all based on choice and that every person knows what’s good and bad and could choose to have a better life if they are just self disciplined and hard working enough. Again, I don’t dispute that the theory has some applications, I just feel that it is universalized too often, and is especially abused in a culture that is accustomed to being able to control circumstances and produce a desired outcome (hmmm, what culture could I be referring to?)
Ok, so I’ve rambled on in a stream of consciousness type fashion for two days. I guess all of this just needs time to settle in my head and heart, and it may take awhile. That’s ok because despite the unsettling feeling I get sometimes, I have a deep sense of joy in being here and being able to be part of these people’s lives. I know I say this all of the time, but I truly feel very humbled by so many people around me who continually face hardship in so many areas on so many levels, and maintain a great character and faith in God. Many of them can’t even count on relief from their hardships in this lifetime, but they persist with inspirational perseverance.
