How Poverty Affects our Mindset
One thing that prevents everyone from receiving the same amount of respect is poverty. In this society where socio-economic status is considered the most important, many people are imprisoned by their own circumstances. Not just the parents, but even their children are suffering from the same punishment.
You are considered fortunate if you have the chance to eat 3 times a day. For some, it is already considered as a luxury. Many people lost their lives due to poverty and scarcity of food. That’s how the privileges are very scarce for the poor. Many people live their lives day by day, worrying about what to eat tomorrow.
A lot of us will wake up in the morning, rushing to go to work, spends 3 hours to travel to their workplace, 9 hours of toiling and hard work, 3 hours again on our way back home, and another 3 hours to do household chores. You only have a few hours left for sleeping. It is already considered a good thing if you were able to fall asleep immediately. However, after all the sacrifices you made to maintain your regular work, the salary is still not enough to feed your family.
Imagine your life spinning around this routine for several years since your childhood. Your parents will sacrifice everything just to give you the best that you ought to receive. In return, you will dream of paying them back with the best that you can. This is not our fault. This is the most natural way to live as humans. However, this mindset prevents us from realizing our own real goals in life. We tend to become more realistic and pessimistic about our situation. Which is why we determine things valuable if it can provide food on our table.
It’s like after your graduation, you don’t have any choice but to serve your life sentence in this new society’s prison. Yes, we are prisoners of this society, and we have no other option but to work and do what this corrupted society expects us to do until we drop.
As human civilization grows, humanity and compassion became extremely lacking. Even though a lot of philanthropists and humanitarian activists tried to ease out this inequality concerns, prejudice became a cancer-like illness that makes every human-being suffer. This illness can also be pass down from generation to generation.
Which is why for me, good upbringing is the most important. Character education really starts at home. Kids go to school not just to learn how to read and write but also to learn how to associate with others. Every kid at school wants to be accepted by their peers. However, a lot of kids with poor character education tend to use their elevated privilege to bully other kids that they considered weak and vulnerable.
These self-entitled people grow up obnoxious and irritating. However, since you are under-privilege, you don’t have the voice to speak out. This is why many people believe that justice is served only for those who are rich.
I hate this kind of society, a disgusting type of community where people eat people. Where people can betray you just because they receive benefits or compensation. Where justice can be bought, and officials can be bribed. Where the family can disown you since you are a failure and useless in their eyes. I hate those kinds of people.
But what can I do? Do my words really make sense to you? Is my pen really mightier than a sword? Will somebody listen to what I’m saying? Will somebody be bold enough and take necessary action?
I doubt. I don’t believe it anymore.
Maybe this will remain just a rant. And I will stay imprisoned…since I’m nothing but a poor young lad.