Ecclesiastes 12:9 "And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge..." Poverty and oppression are problems that will never be solved.
If this is the case, Why even try?
For some, the simple answer is "hard work" and "tenacity" - but can these attributes be taught to a generation who has never had to practice either?
For others, the simple answer is "equal opportunity" - but what good is opportunity without volition?
Still others profess "prayer" as the answer - but isn't it said that, "Faith without works is dead"?
Many have posited "education" as the answer - but what type of education is best suited for people who will never use the knowledge being taught?
Some blame society, some genetics while others blame fate - yet still, the problems persist.
I'm sure anyone who reads this or other blogs has at least made an attempt at the eradication of these problems - but still they persist.
I'm sure everyone has; joined a group or organization, donated time and/or money, mentored, tutored or taught someone who just needed "one thing" to make their life better.
But has it made a difference?
Slaves could blame their lack of freedom.
Those born during Segregation could blame a state sponsored oppression.
Many today blame the media.
But even before and after these factors were present, the problems persist(ed).
Slaves were freed, Segregation abolished, and the government nurtured a Nanny State where it makes more sense (financially) to remain "poor" than it does to work - but still, none were the answer.
Is being oppressed the natural state of some men?
Is poverty the fate of others?
Is the lack of a formal education the expectation for some?
Is one group born to succeed and another to fail (with a few anomalous exceptions mixed in)?
Is their any use in even trying to make things better for a group of people whose priorities are more about survival than they are about thriving?
How much time, money and/or resources must be spent on those who always seem to misuse them?
How many lives should be spent trying to solve an unsolvable problem?
How much new housing should the government build if it is only destroyed by those it was intended to help?
How many programs should be created that have little or no impact on the overall problems?
If we keep doing the same things, shouldn't we expect the same results?
Q: Why do we even bother at all?
A: All of these attempts at solving these problems are just as though we were treading water in the middle of the ocean with sharks circling our feet.
Maybe we are just trying to keep some people alive long enough until a valid rescue is devised.
Maybe were are intuitively following the teachings of the preacher.
We all know what works but we know a bunch of individuals doing it is not enough. If the government mandated it and this was the way of our little world then it would come into being. They mandated rationing of metal during the war and everyone abided by it.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a program from the government it's a mandate that is needed to force people to go a certain way. They do it with speed limits and other laws.
In my conspiracy theory approach the government needs a certain population to be shiftless. So they can employ the other people to take care of them. Also if you make everyone able bodied they will be able bodied potentially against you. This is why the preacher never truly educates or makes you whole because if he did you wouldn't need him to interpret the Bible or this world for you.
We have to realize that capitalism is a functional system and it's based off there always being a percentage of the population that doesn't want to do for self!
Yeah, there will always be an underclass,
ReplyDeletebut the thing is, "It doesn't have to be YOU".
This is the teaching that must be learned by those who seem to settle for a life they don't want.
You only want more after you have been exposed to more. Whether that be through TV or the promise of money from education.
ReplyDeleteMost people are ignorant and when you meet them it's because they haven't seen enough. As long as those with the power whether white or black pump very negative images then the masses will believe that's what life is all about.
Education is the only thing that overrides these images. But even the educated will go and live the fallacy of the American Dream.
I know it doesn't need to be me. But some times I just put my head in my hands and wonder what we as a society can do about these problems that really don't seem to be fixable the way it's going right now.
ReplyDeleteGoo dpost UBJ, I see you over @ Carey's all the time and I thought I'd drop by and say hi.
@ Soloman - Thanks for dropping by.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I labeled the post "Treading Water".
If we were out to sea a few miles in a storm and we were surrounded by others who lacked the ability to swim - what would (should) we do?
Since teaching all these people to swim to shore would be out of the question (most would die in the attempt) - teaching them to tread water is the best option.
It still doesn't solve the problem but at least more people will survive the storm, be washed ashore or be rescued.
I am of the Each One, Teach One mindset, and seen improved lifestyle with many people as a result. I've seen self-help groups save many a lost soul, and some programs work well in uplifting some of the people who wanted help as much as they needed it.
ReplyDeleteI was also rescued at least once in my life when I was young and in my darkest hour, by a woman therapist from the Holocaust who herself was rescued. And since that time, I have returned the favor, not her, but to a multitude of people I served.
You are correct about poverty and other social ills being with humanity always. While some people are innately trifling, most want a better life, but as history shows us, many (not all) who hold the money strings are too blind to see they can profit from this, from a cleaner, safer environment to intact families and low crime communities, making life more pleasant for all.
This is where the battle of Good vs. Evil comes into play, in real life and the video story themes. To do nothing is to let Evil win.