I indicated in my first post that I felt drawn to more involvement with vulnerable people and people caught in poverty. They often tend to be the same people. This blog post is trying to explain a couple of things that have influenced my view on poverty.
One of the things that was clearly evident to me when we were living in Calgary was the disparity between rich and poor. I walked to the office every day (about 20 minutes) to the center of the city and essentially the center of the oil industry in Alberta. No shortage of money there. Along the way I would pass the homeless who would be camped out along 10th St. hoping for a bit of spare change. I wasn’t in the habit of tossing toonies because I don’t see that as a sustainable solution. But I did know where some of the local shelters were so I could direct people to them, and I would take the time to get to know the names and stories of the people I encountered. I learned that there are no simple answers to the challenge of poverty. Even in -30 weather there were some who would choose to sleep on the street rather than take a chance on getting assaulted or robbed in a shelter. Some were paranoid to the point where the only place that felt safe was the street. Mental health issues abound. One guy in particular was a regular on my travel path. When he disappeared for a while I was concerned that something had happened to him but, when he reappeared a few weeks later, he told me that he had gone to stay with his sister. He ended up back on 10th St. because life with his sister “just wasn’t my thing”. The street had become home to him.
Another experience that influenced my view of poverty. In the spring of 2015 we had an opportunity to spend 10 days in Haiti. The disparity between rich and poor there is stark. There are essentially 2 separate economies in that country. I came away from that experience struck by the irony that existed there; the only slave colony to “successfully” revolt. Everyone in current day Haiti was a prisoner. The poor who live in their prison of poverty, and the rich who live in their cages. It was pretty clear to me that that level of disparity is bad for society as a whole. Another thing that was clear to me was the harmful impact that being a net recipient of aid had on the economy and the psyche of a whole country. Poverty is their biggest export is the way one good friend put it to me.
That affirmed for me that, in any circumstance, both rich and poor must be partners in finding solutions. As rich people and countries, we tend to take the easy way out, pouring money into situations without always considering the overall impact. Well meaning, just not well thought out. And I say it’s the easy way out because it is easier than investing the time and effort required to walk alongside people and finding solutions together.
These experiences have shaped my philosophy around the right way to “be the change” when it comes to helping the poor. When Jesus said “from whom much is given, much is expected” He was not talking only about money. We have all been gifted in some way and that includes the poor. In everything I get involved in, I am looking for ways to contribute my gifts, whatever they are. And I’m trying to make it my going-in position to expect the same from all the stakeholders.
Thanks for sharing this journey with me.
I’ve been reading a recommended book called From Success to Significance. It describes a turning point, a shift from focus on career/business success and the practical need to provide for a family etc. to doing something significant. That is not to suggest that supporting a family or developing a career is not significant. But, for many of us, the practical reality of those responsibilities meant having to defer the pursuit of passions or interests. And we all have those passions and interests.
