Homeless, unemployed and lower income individuals are pressured to do more for themselves, to get a job (or a second job), to elevate themselves out of poverty.
But sometimes it's not just about getting a job, it's about something else. It's about not being able to cope with the pressures and demands of our modern day society.
Our modern day lives are a complicated mess of family, friends, school, work, hobbies, other interests, bills and other expenses etc. It's a lot to juggle, it's a lot to manage, and it's exhausting.
We're all different and we have different degrees of stamina and endurance. A few people can cope quite easily, most struggle to keep up, and some can't cope at all, they don't have the ability to manage their lives in the society that we've created, it's all too much. And rightfully so, it IS all too much.
Sometimes it has to do with mental health, but most of the time it has to do with the pressures and demands that we've created in our modern day society. Most people are burning the candle at both ends, which isn't sustainable. They'll reach a breaking point, and some already have.
Just because a person can't cope with the pressures and demands of our modern day society, doesn't mean that they should live in poverty. We should simply acknowledge that they can't cope, and those who can help, should. And we should change our society.
Imagine this: Some people experience states where even a simple thing such as having a shower becomes a huge chore. If you've never experienced such a thing you'd find it hard to believe. However, imagine if someone's struggling to have a shower, how will they get and keep a job? How will they do other things, such as go grocery shopping, cook meals, do household chores, manage bills and expenses etc.?
These people need a tremendous amount of support and a job is the least of their worries. We look after children in every way and sometimes we have to look after some adults in every way, by providing for their basic needs (food, water, clothing, shelter, healthcare etc.) without expecting anything in return.
We all assume that people are capable of anything, if they put their mind to it. That's true to some degree; however, we should acknowledge that we're all different and we go through different states. We should have sympathy, compassion and understanding for one another.
A society that has homelessness and poverty isn't a reflection of the homeless and poor, it's a reflection of a society that hasn't done enough to alleviate homelessness and poverty. It means that there's something wrong with the society, not that there's something wrong with the homeless and poor.
We need to create a new society, one that's built on the quality of bestowal, where everyone contributes to society, and in turn society looks after us.
We need to simplify our lives and focus only on meeting our basic needs - food, water, clothing, shelter, healthcare, education etc. This will simplify our lives, improve our health, and improve the connect between us, and between us and all of Nature.
In everything we do, we should seek to benefit others instead of ourselves.
Copyright © 2014, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.
