Wealth vs. Poverty free essay sample

To address the issues of poverty, do we ask who’s to blame, or why it persists? Maybe or maybe not, but theses are two excellent questions to start on a path of understanding poverty. Analysis of a few articles will shed some insight on addressing the matters of poverty, and will give some understanding to steps that society, along with individuals themselves, can take to improve upon the qualities of life. One article, â€Å"The Persistence of Poverty†, focuses on just that, the persistence of poverty, and what some of the key factors or behaviors/non-behaviors that cause poverty. Yet another article, â€Å"Social Empathy: A Tool to Address the Contradiction of Working But Still Poor†, goes further to help understand why even while the poor attempt to work to overcome being poor, they remain poor. This article also addresses how a combination of empathy from both individuals as well as social reform can help to improve the quality of life for those stuck in the cycle of working but still poor. We will write a custom essay sample on Wealth vs. Poverty or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A third article, or short autobiography, â€Å"Nickel and Dimed†, author Barbara Ehrenreich, puts herself in the world of the working poor class; thus allowing herself to empathize with the working destitute. There may not be an immediate solution to poverty, but considering its persistence, there must be some factors that have recurred over the years, that can be siphoned out to help with improving the quality of life. Combing through these articles will reveal some ideas to improving the quality of life: social and individual empathy, lifestyle changes, and government programs. Wealth vs. Poverety Persistence Poverty dates back to being that of the â€Å"natural order†. In the Bible it says â€Å"For the poor shall never cease out of the land† (Deuteronomy 15:11, King James Version). Millenniums later, in the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus echoes this by saying â€Å"For the poor always ye have with you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (John 12:8, King James Version) (Karelis, 2008, p. 28). Even in modern times, poverty is seen as persistent, but not natural. It is seen as a puzzling anomaly, since it appears that there is enough â€Å"wealth† to go around. â€Å"The United States poverty rate has been essentially the same for forty years, despite significant increases in the per capita domestic product† (Karelis, p. 28). So why does this persistent state of poverty exist? Why do the poor often stay poor? Karelis points out five causes, while stating they are among the most important causes (implying that there are more; just that these are the most important ones): not working, not finishing school, not saving for a rainy day, no moderating alcohol consumption, and not living within the law. Out of these five, not moderating alcohol consumption does not seem to fit. While it would be common sense to think that drinking alcohol excessively is not healthy, it is hard to pinpoint how this can be listed as a cause. There are many other factors that could be listed as â€Å"important† causes to poverty. For instance, gambling and drug addiction could be deemed much more worthy an adversary to wealth. Why then did Karelis presume that not moderating alcohol consumption was an important cause to poverty? One can presume that maybe he struggled with controlling his alcohol consumption. Maybe he took his own empathy into consideration when writing the article. This is not necessarily a bad thing to do when looking at what causes the persistence of poverty. In fact, it would be good practice for individuals that are suffering in a life of poverty, to look at their life and see if there are any patterns or behaviors (or non-behaviors) that might be causing themselves to live in poverty. Taking a look at the other four behaviors Karelis listed, it seems he speculates about the conditions of those in poverty. He does contend that â€Å"obviously not all poor people fail to do these things† (Karelis, p. 28). Karelis goes right back into assuming by stating â€Å"But poor people fail to do them disproportionately†. It appears that Karelis is empathizing with individuals who are poor when mentioning alcohol consumption; yet, he seems to sympathize at the most by aiming most of the blame on the individuals themselves. It is presumable that the fault does lie on individuals when it comes to finishing school, and even to work. At least in the United States, working and going to school is a voluntary decision. A decision not to do either, will lead to a state of poverty, unless an individual comes into money a different way. Although completing school can help in improving upon ones career, there is no merit in classifying it as a cause in and of itself.