Growing World Divides: It's Not Cool to be Poor

Richest 1% will own more than all the rest by 2016

A cousin recently sent me this:

The Difference Between Rich/Poor People?

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. 
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. 
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" 
"It was great, Dad." 
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked. 
"Oh yeah," said the son. 
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. 
The son answered: 
"I saw that we have one dog and they had four. 
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. 
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. 
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. 
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. 
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. 
We buy our food, but they grow theirs. 
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them." 
The boy's father was speechless. 
Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are." 
Isn't perspective a wonderful thing?  Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have. 
Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends! 
Pass this on to friends and acquaintances and help them refresh their perspective and appreciation. 
"Life is too short and friends are too few."

I've been thinking a lot about the above for the last few days. I understand that it is about perspective, how one see's the world, has the ability to think about things differently than through one's own experience, i.e. an ability to step into another's shoes, etc. But in some ways the above seems to "romanticize" being poor, e.g. "we buy our food, they grown theirs". 

Having lived in both India and Nepal for almost six years I've seen a lot of what I would consider poor people, not just from a resource or western perspective but from a human perspective.  Having to live in an urban area on the street does not look too inviting; having to beg for one's food without proper nutrition is not very appealing; using glue or other inhalants to minimize the hunger pangs in someone's stomach; working 24/7 just to grow enough food or needing to walk numerous miles/kilometers everyday tor collect firewood so that food can be cooked or the wood sold to make a few rupees does not leave a lot of room for enjoying life; having to deal with consistent load shedding with no heat in the winter and little relief in the summer can't be that enjoyable.  We can all think of many other examples.    

Some might say ok but people can change their behaviors, it's possible as per the following from the Social Leadership Development Blog Inspiring Leadership via Social Media

17 Ways Rich People & Poor People Think Differently

1.                               Rich people believe that they create their life, poor people believe that life happens to them.

2.                               Rich people play the money game to Win, poor people play the money game to lose.

3.                               Rich people are committed to being Rich, poor people want to be rich.

4.                               Rich people think Big, poor people think small.

5.                               Rich people focus on Opportunity, poor people focus on obstacles.

6.                               Rich people admire other rich and successful people, poor people resent successful rich  people.

7.                               Rich people associate with positive successful people, poor people associate with negative people.

8.                               Rich people are willing to promote themselves and their values, poor people don’t.

9.                               Rich people are bigger than their problems, poor people are smaller than their problems.

10.                           Rich people are excellent receivers, poor people are poor receivers.

11.                           Rich people choose to get paid based on results, poor people choose to get paid based on  time.

12.                           Rich people think Both, poor people think either/or.

13.                           Rich people focus on their Net Worth, poor people focus on their working income.

14.                           Rich people manage their money well, poor people mismanage their money well.

15.                           Rich people have their money work hard for them, poor people work hard for their money.

16.                           Rich people act in spite of fear, poor people let fear stop them.

17.                           Rich people constantly grow, poor people think they “know it all”.

Not that I agree with all of the above but is it only about behaviors?  I would say not.  Society and in which family we were born has a lot to do with who we are.  Often times we don't seems to have many choices.  In both Nepal and India no matter how much we want to deny it, the caste system is alive and well.  In the US and in every country throughout the world there is social stratification.  Many people "know" their social standing and don't want others infringing upon this.  This begs the question of how to help people to start to understand change, other ways, or at least provide some ideas for people to think about. 

The Oxfam Report quoted above focuses on the following areas:

• ·         GLOBAL WEALTH IS INCREASINGLY BEING CONCENTRATED IN THE HANDS OF A SMALL WEALTHY ELITE
• ·         WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS HAVE GENERATED AND SUSTAINED THEIR RICHES THROUGH INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES IN A FEW IMPORTANT ECONOMIC SECTORS
• ·         COMPANIES FROM THE FINANCE AND PHARMACEUTICAL SECTORS SPENT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN 2013 ON LOBBYING
• ·         THE MOST PROLIFIC LOBBYING ACTIVITIES IN THE US ARE ON BUDGET AND TAX ISSUES

We all know that wealth is being concentrated, that there are greater divides occurring between people, a kind of financial apartheid.  We already know what people will do to protect or obtain wealth; the security industry will continue to grow, wars will be fought, greater corruption will take place, many people will die or become "slaves", fundamentalism will turn us into more of a mono-culture.  Whoever controls the resources makes the rules, it seems fairly clear.   

President Obama in his recent State of the Union address spoke about the middle class, this article This is why Obama is so concerned about the Middle Class confirms what the Oxfam Report indicated and the growing class divide.  Will the US Congress go along with making changes, given its divisions, maybe a few crumbs will be thrown out, but more than likely not.  But then again there is a presidential election next year. 

Things are never over until they are over, i.e. there is always hope, people will fight, many may die, governments will become more repressive.    Will the world become fairer given human beings extreme self-interest and selfishness, amongst even those who are poor, probably not?  However, as I've found, we can all make individual differences, not trying to convert others to our way, but showing other methods for hope, bringing a smile to someone's face, just listening.    Maybe these small acts are all that we really can do during our lifetimes.