Sunday, January 29, 2012

Poverty - what is it?

B'H
Poverty is often relative to the situation and perspective of the people who are suffering it. People down to their last million could cry poverty. I remember an aunt of mine who actively loathed me, once remarked as we were getting into a lift. 'Poor A and C. (her younger son and his wife) they live in such poverty, such abject poverty.' Now they owned their own house and they were both working and sending their daughters to private schools. If that is poverty bring it on. I would love to be that impoverished.
Poverty for some people is not being able to afford cigarettes and drink. I don't smoke and I don't drink barely at all, so I do not feel the lack of these addictions. Poverty is for some not going to Bali this year on their yearly holidays. Poverty is staying in Australia for this long holidays.

Poverty for me is thinking about what food you need to buy and how are you going to buy, when your rent is nearly all your pension, and you have a child to keep and to educate. Poverty is not having enough petrol to get to the RTA to re register your car and the money to pay rego.Poverty is not buying new clothes ever. Poverty is having friends continually shouting you to the movies and you not being able to afford to return the favour.
Poverty is not having anyone to bounce off and tell your troubles to and do you really want to when  it is all bad.
Poverty is having to tell your child that football is not possible perhaps this year as you just can't afford it. Poverty is not being able to afford anything and to look at life as though there is now no longer a future for yourself and your son.
Once I believed I was in a job that I did well and my wage could only go up. I believed despite taking a king hit while pregnant with my son and facing discrimination at a school, I would be ok because I worked hard and did my job well. I reckoned without understanding the divisiveness of those who sought to pull me down a peg or two just because I had had a baby at an advanced age and I was a single parent (not by choice) therefore because I was not going to make myself available to men at demand, I was a 'man hater' and therefore a threat to them for reasons known only to them.
Poverty is trying to raise a child in your late fifties with little or no income and trying to give him a good start in life when you have been thrust onto a pension and the employment scrap heap.
Poverty is not even being able to see your mother for more than five years through lack of income and just plain unable to do so.
Anyone need a good copywriter? Anyone need an editor or an English teacher?

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