When you think of poverty, you might think of it as the state of one who lacks an amount of money needed to cover basic needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter. However, have you considered that there is another possible definition of poverty? While it can cover a need for necessities, it can also be an absence of material comforts.
Britannica’s online encyclopedia explains that in order to define poverty, you first need to determine what constitutes as “Basic Needs”. The narrow definition of this could be those things that are necessary for survival. However, a broader definition shows that sometimes, these basic needs reflect a “standard of living” that exists in the community that you live in.
According to Mollie Orshansky (developer of the poverty measurements used by the U.S. government), “to be poor is to be deprived of those goods and services and pleasures which others around us take for granted.”
This could be as simple as food, clothing, and shelter. But ask yourselves these two questions:
- Are we an economy that is drifting towards a global poverty because we are always striving to “keep up with the Jones’” yet unable to fully do so because of lack of financial ability and mounting debt?
- Are we pushing this global poverty on others by trying to set a higher standard of living by achieving more and encouraging others to do the same even if beyond their means?
Maybe it’s time to sit back and meditate on the more important things, learning to be content with what we have even if we have the means to obtain more. Remember, about 1/2 of the human population suffers from poverty. Instead of pursuing your own desires, find ways that you can help those in your own community (or even on a worldwide scale) overcome the ever increasing problems that result from poverty.
Here are a few sites that you can check out to learn more about how you can help:
Global Issues
One Campaign
United Nations World Food Program (WFP)
There are many more international organizations that have related information about poverty, hunger, and preventable diseases. If you find one that you would like to share, please do so in our comments section, or post about it in our group here: Community Outreach
Related:
4 Ways Poverty Impacts Your Personal Finances
Poverty Among Woman Increasing During Retirement - 4 Tips to Help Prevent This From Happening To You
Blog Action Day 2008
(Photo Courtesy of : Puravida / morguefile.com)
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