Treatment for Poverty

In medicine, it is often useful to study case histories in order to understand and infer the general principles involved. In treating poverty, given its diverse and multi-dimensional nature, it is also useful to study a number of hypothetical cases in order to appreciate the complexity of this universal and eternal problem that has afflicted all societies and communities since time immemorial.

The first case must necessarily be the most visible, which is the homeless person who is acutely poor, without income, without anything of value, without security, with literally nothing except what is at hand. In spite of all this nothingness, our homeless person often is also extremely resourceful, finding treasure in other people's garbage, building a collection of valuable junk, and trading one item for another. The horizon of perception is limited to what can be seen immediately, from day to day, hour by hour. Anything larger triggers a cascade of emotional response, from anger to despair, from depression to fear. The barest social contact each day requires monumental effort and energy, both externally, and more ofteh, internally in order to deal with the collage of images and visions that accompany each emotional episodes.

In this case, poverty is but the mere superficial manifestation of a much more profound disconnection between a person and the community. When this homeless person first fell into the trap of poverty, the vicious cycle of disconnection perpetuates itself, and thus poverty, by isolating the person further and further, until finally, in the depth of winter, even life disappears.

What does the acutely poor desire and want? What passions drive them to continue an existence that seem horrible to others? What goals have they, now or in the past? What drove them to take that first step into the trap of poverty, either voluntarily or otherwise?

In one case, the first step can be addiction. In another case, the first step can be emotional trauma. Whatever the cause, the first step out of the trap must be a glimpse of hope and the conviction of a possiblity for change. For addicts, the first step is to admit the problem, and a willingness to overcome that problem. Indeed, the first step is to admit that the problem CAN be overcome. Only then, is any course of action possible. Often, most addicts first hide in denial. Then, when they are confronted with the irrefutable evidence, they get angry and hide in their own submission to the addiction, and wallow in the "joy" of it. And when confronted with a choice between life and death, some would even bargain for a "milder" form of addiction, claiming to have control. No matter which stage of "grief" the addict is in, over the loss of his "fix", there is only one final destination of hope, which is acceptance of truth. Until then, there is no treatment.

In the case of the emotionally traumatized, only finding and facing the cause of the trauma will aleviate the pain and suffering that drains the person's energy each and every day, diverting useful productive energy away from rewarding work, and dissipating it in fits of flashbacks and echos of pain. Some attempt to cure themselves of this pain by drugs, or other forms of therapy, such as the misleading "shopping therapy", etc. Fundamentally, unless the same dedication to truth is applied here, as with an addict, to acknowledge and confront one's own emotional shackles, one is forever trapped by the energy used to maintain the facade that there is no trap. Ironically, by tearing down the facade, by facing the truth, one overcomes it, and dispatch it forever, free to spend one's energy in more rewarding experiences than playing games of hide-and-seek.

To treat poverty, to eradicate it from society, is to help individuals to mature, to grow as a person. It is a job that requires the patience and nurture of a parent, and the selfless love.

The reason why poverty is so prevalent and difficult to eradicate is not because of a lack of patience or skills or will. It is because there is either a lack of selfless love, or as often the case, too much of it in an individual to handle the herculean task, and the selfless individual is drowned in the rescue attempt, of one case or another, eventually.

The role of society and government is to assure that those who wish to help has the facilities to provide it, without being overwhelmed by the task; while those who need the help has the connections, the lifelines, the incentives, to reach out for the offered hands. The collective must serve as the intermediary to protect both sides of the loving equation.