I am going to say something bold. But then again, you have probably already grown accustomed to my outrageously bold statements anyway, so here I go:

The problem with the poor, isn’t with the poor, but with those who suffocate the voices of the poor.

There are some serious implications to this statement. First of all, it assumes that the poor aren’t poor simply because they are lazy, stupid, or just plain unassertive; it does the opposite (without ruling out that they may display those attributes). Secondly, it gives responsibility to those who have the ability to facilitate changes, something I have grown increasingly convinced of during my service with the Peace Corps.

So, what am I trying to say?

People excel in systems that are designed to help them excel, not to cut them down in a sort of competition that intends to kill opponents. I remember hearing once that competition didn’t mean defeating the opponent, but making the opponent better as they make you better. The difference between the two is an attitude shift. One is intended to stunt or prevent the growth of another, the other is to endorse it, to facilitate it. What I am trying to reconcile however, is the idea that a personal drive to succeed will motivate people to become the best in their field, however, it is only in cooperative helping of one another that we can accomplish a level of group success. After all, do we really want to be tyrants in a world where relationships are the ultimate key to happiness?

So what am i trying to say on my soap box? Well, first of all, the poor shall be held responsible for their own actions, however we, as people who have the fortune of options cannot ignore that in lieu of our passion to succeed, we push others down instead of creating spaces for them to rise up – and that is precisely the problem the poor face the most.

As I live poorly with the poor, I find myself in a position where I am forced to listen, and that’s where I think it all begins. Yes, they are not the most polished of public speakers, nor do they always know how to deliver messages effectively as they stand on their own soap box as if they were filibustering congress, however, if we take the time to listen, we will find out that they have intelligent arguments that make sense and solutions that might create a positive outcome. As one friend said, the problem with the poor isn’t that they exist, but that they are concentrated in masses. Now, I don’t completely agree with that, I do agree that if the problem the poor creates is in their concentration, I do think that we need to look to create openings and spaces for them to be productive.

Ah whatever… It’s time for me to just take a breather… let’s talk about this sometime. What do you say?