Justifying the Daily Struggle of Poverty

Most people think of poverty as this distant concept that’s only worth discussing in Time magazines or political debates.  But here’s the harsh truth; poverty is not just a word in the dictionary that you occasionally use, it’s a situation that we all struggle with every single day.

Let’s start with the most basic, nutrition.

A common issue that arises with poverty is malnutrition. Of course, it only makes sense. If a person does not have enough means to support himself and his family, it also goes to say that he cannot provide good food on the table to make sure that his brood stays healthy.

This is the most basic struggle of a person with low means because malnutrition then leads to other problems. For example, when you’re not healthy, you often get sick, which means you’d have to go to the hospital often. Hospital visits mean hospital bills. Hospital visits means doctor’s fees and prescription drugs. Worse yet, sick days ultimately lead to loss of salary. The significant factor here is for minimum wage workers whose every daily salary counts. A single day’s worth of loss could mean a LOT for his/her family.

Another consideration besides nutrition is emotional and psychological health. It’s not uncommon for rich and spoiled heiresses to suffer from depression and substance addiction. But a huge percentage of people who are depressed or suicidal come from the poverty line.

It can’t be expressed by words but the emotional pain and grip that comes from having less or no money is only something you can relate to if you’ve been there. It’s not just about feeling helpless, but feeling hungry, tired, and emotionally drained at the same time.

But perhaps the biggest struggle of belonging in the poverty line is that, through all your hard work, through every sweat and blood you’ve put through just to make it through the day, you still won’t get out of that poverty line.

How so?

The most pressing concern for people in poverty is that there’s around 40% chance that they’ll stay poor or get poorer. That’s not a very good motivator, yes? Why work when there’s a big chance that you’ll only have enough to make it through the day? But then, you DO have to work to feed yourself and your family, pay for your home, pay for school and a good life, etc. So where do you strike the line?

As heavy as that burden feels, it’s an even bigger struggle when you’re drowning in debt. Poverty makes your financial activities so difficult that you’re forced to apply for loan after loan. Soon, you’ll be drowning in a vicious loan cycle, struggling to keep track of your income that’s being deducted for interest rates alone.

Debt cycle is the biggest daily struggle for people in poverty, as far as finances go. It encompasses every living expense, from auto loans, student loans, housing loans, down to personal and hospital loans. Every single loan a person takes out digs him deeper into a deep poverty grave. And mind you, this is not an easy situation to get out of.

The depressing reality of poverty is that it breeds more sociopolitical and environmental issues. It is not a single problem that’s isolated from other problems we face today. Poverty, that is modern poverty, has crippled many countries from development and hindered many businesses and industries from thriving.

Poverty isn’t just an embarrassing set of statistics you see on newspapers. It’s happening daily, it’s happening right now. The question is, what will you do about it?