Problem of Poverty and Its Kinds

What is poverty? First of all, poverty is the lack of resources or information that can empower a person’s well-being. As a result of lacking in those resources, poverty can diminish a person’s value of life. It is common in the world and in effect in the lives of most people. It is estimated that nearly ½ of the world’s population – more than 3 billion people – live on less than $2.50 a day (“11 Facts About Global Poverty”). Poverty is one of the major causes for human regression in life. Poverty is also a silent killer in the modern world. “Up to two thirds of people with HIV/AIDS have depression, while rates of mental disability among the homeless can be greater than 50%, but their mental health needs are commonly not addressed.” (“Mental health, Poverty and Development”). Poverty can affect us on different levels in our day-to-day lives.

In this world there are three types of poverty. There is mental poverty, spiritual poverty, and physical poverty. Most people in the world today are in poverty. They lack the resources they need to advance themselves mentally, spiritually, and physically. Let us start by defining each type in order to better understand their predominance in the world. First, mental poverty is when a person is not mentally equipped to handle life’s stresses. They are unable to function adequately in their day-to-day lives because they have not adequately addressed their own internal thoughts and emotions. Sometimes this happens due to poor upbringing during one’s childhood or because of a significant event that happened during a sensitive time of a person’s life and had immense effects on their mental well-being. Sometimes the result is that the person experiences Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD.

Secondly, spiritual poverty is when one lacks connection to a higher purpose greater than the person’s self in life. This is when the person is not aware of their purpose in life and the value of contributing to things greater than themselves. At this point the person is focused and believes only on what he/she can perceive with their physical eyes. In this condition the person does open up to metaphysical ideas such as heaven and hell, reincarnation, or past lives. They do not consider any ideas that seem strange or outside of their normal way of thinking and perceiving the world. In the bible it states, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (KJV, Mat. 1.4). We can translate this verse to mean that those who consider themselves poor in the spirit are not very prideful but are humble and have a yearning to grow spiritually. Third, physical poverty is the lack of physical materials that provides a person with the resources they for survival. For example, access to food, shelter, and water is necessary for the survival of humans. This can lead a person to starvation, dehydration, and death/illness due to environmental circumstances.

Hence, as poverty affects people on the three levels, mental, spiritual, and physical, it can act as a barrier between people and their needs and wants. In order to prepare against poverty, we must first educate ourselves on what it is and how it affects our planet every day. The future for most people in developing countries seems bland if the world continues in its trends today. We need to start thinking on a global about how we, citizens of first world countries, can extend a helping hand and donate our leftovers to those that are in need. Finally, we all possess the power to lower suppress the amount of poverty in the world.