How Manly Men Can Fight Poverty

[Resurrexi]

I saw this article and thought it would be appropriate since Lent is a season for almsgiving.

How Manly Men Can Fight Poverty

The first time I was really confronted with poverty on a consistent basis was when I lived in Tijuana, Mexico for two years as a missionary for my church. For a white kid (well, a tan white kid) who grew up in an affluent American town, the experience was an eye opener. For the first time, I saw all the ugly effects of poverty first hand: drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution, child neglect, sickness, and crime.

While I was in Tijuana, I saw several church groups from California cross the border with the goal of alleviating poverty. They’d come with bags of used clothes, toys, and handouts of free food. Heck, they’d even build people new homes for free! While their intentions were noble, their efforts did little to help the people. In a day or two the food was gone and in a week or two the free toys were lying untouched on the dirt street. But the people still didn’t have enough money to buy clean water or food for their families. And those people who got new homes? As soon as the church groups left, some of these new homeowners dismantled their houses and sold the materials for money. Others, who kept their homes, failed to take care of them properly and they quickly deteriorated. Within a matter of months, those brand new houses were indistinguishable from the other run down shacks.

But during my time in TJ, I met several families who were able to beat the poverty cycle. As I look back at these people, they all had two things in common that helped them get out of poverty: self-determination and responsible help from others. I never saw one without the other.

One family stands out to me. The husband was basically a bum. He drank his days away and worked odd jobs that paid a pittance. He couldn’t provide for his family and they often went hungry. This bum happened to attend the same church as a man who owned several taxies that ran in Tijuana. The taxi owner knew the bum husband and the problems he had. The taxi owner took the guy under his wing and worked with him on getting his life in order. With a bit of tough love, this guy turned his life around completely. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of setbacks, but he had the determination to make a better life for his family The taxi owner soon offered the newly transformed man a job as a taxi driver in Tijuana. For the first time in this man’s life he had steady work that allowed him to provide comfortably for his family. He was able to escape poverty.

Grit and determination will only get you so far when you’re battling poverty. I saw men in Tijuana who worked their butts off at two jobs, but their situation never improved. It wasn’t until someone stepped in and provided better resources and opportunities that these men’s situations got better.

Likewise, all the help in the world won’t do any good unless the person has the desire to accept the help and do something constructive with it. As they say, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. So just providing handouts won’t cut it, like the misguided church groups did above. At some point the impoverished person must make the decision to get out of poverty. And they might need some help to see that they even have a choice. Some people have been so beaten down by poverty that they don’t have confidence or self determination to rise up from it.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not naive enough to think that self determination and help from others will beat poverty every time. Some places in the world have such corrupt governments and extreme environments that Herculean efforts and all of Warren Buffet’s money can’t possibly eradicate all of the poverty there. But individuals don’t have much influence over those factors. I think it’s much more constructive to focus on things we can have a direct and immediate influence on.

And a final thing I learned while I was in Mexico is that it isn’t the big Herculean efforts that beats poverty. Big government programs, huge benefit concerts, or even Blog Action Days don’t do much to help people get out of poverty. It’s done one person at a time.
How to Kick Poverty’s Butt

How can we as men help kick poverty’s butt? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Become a mentor. You don’t need to go halfway across the world to fight poverty. Opportunities exist right in your backyard. Become a mentor to a disadvantaged young person in your community. Young people are stuck in a cycle of poverty. Their parents are poor, and thus often don’t know how to motivate their kids to seek higher education and a better life for themselves. And the kids then follow their parents’ example, have their own kids, and raise them the same way. By becoming someone’s mentor, you can step in and break that cycle. You can provide the guidance and counsel that they may not get at home or from their friends. You can help them develop the skills that will enable them to become self-sufficient. Keep in mind that being a mentor is a long term commitment. Expect to be in it to win it for months or even years. The investment will be well worth it for the person and for you. Check out Big Brothers or your local community center. Or look for a way to volunteer in your area’s schools.

2. Offer a free class to impoverished people. It’s not the politically correct thing to say, but it is oftentimes the lifestyle of impoverished people that keeps them poor. In many cases, they lack basic life skills that we often take for granted. Things like showing up to appointments on time, basic grooming, and interpersonal skills might be lost on them. Most communities and states have agencies that teach people these skills. Many are hurting for teachers. Make a call and volunteer some time.

3. Donate a suit. The other day, I heard on the radio about an organization that collects gently used suits for impoverished men to wear at a job interview. I think that’s a beaver dam good idea. Check out The Men’s Warehouse Suit Drive and see how you can donate your old suit to help a fellow man.

4. Join Americorps. Have you recently graduated from college and find yourself drifting, unsure of what you want to do next? Consider joining Americorps. Americorps is one of the best kept secrets in the country. Americorps is like a domestic Peace Corps in which men and women dedicate themselves to a year of full-time service (although there are some part-time opportunities as well). Americorps is an umbrella for thousands of different programs, from those that tutor elementary students to those that work with the elderly. After the very me-centered time of college, Americorps will give you a chance to completely dedicate yourself to improving the lives of other people.

5. Join an international relief organization. If you’re wanting to help battle poverty on an international level, join up with an international relief organization. You’ll have the chance to get on the ground and help people directly. You could be involved with classes that teach water purification, sanitation, and farming. Or you could instruct people on how to run a business. Stuff that will help individuals become self sufficient and on the road to beating poverty. Many churches have international relief programs. If you’re not a church person, check out Peace Corps or UNICEF.

6. Donate to a micro loan. Studies have shown that just giving countries money doesn’t do anything to alleviate poverty. The money gets lost through graft and the inefficiency of bureaucracies. Why not put the money directly in the hands of the people you’re trying to help so they can help themselves? Micro loans do just that. Your $50 or $100 loan can help some man in Africa start their own business. You’ll be giving the help a person needs to become self-sufficient.

H/T to [url="http://artofmanliness.com/2008/10/14/how-manly-men-can-fight-poverty/"]Art of Manliness[/url] [mod]edited article for language --ICP [/mod]

[Era Might]

I like some of those suggestions more than others. For example, I am not a fan of volunteerism, because it inevitably leads to a situation where the volunteers are pushing their socio-cultural ideology on others (even though the volunteers have good intentions, and they may not even realize that they are pushing ideology).

I don't think that the list addresses the most important point and the very first step that we need to take: in order to fight poverty, we need to become poor. And of course, there is a difference between poverty and destitution...nobody should be destitute; everyone should have enough to live, and ideally we would all be content with having just enough. Before we even seek to help others, we need to address our own personal complicity in a culture of endless production and consumption. Here are some useful thoughts from Peter Maurin:

[quote]The world would be better off
if people tried to become better,
and people would be better
if they stopped trying to become better off.
For when everyone tries to become better off,
nobody is better off.
But when everyone tries to become better
everyone is better off.
Everyone would be rich
if nobody tried to become richer,
and nobody would be poor
if everyone tried to be the poorest.
And everybody would be what he ought to be
if everybody tried to be
what he wants the other fellow to be.[/quote]

[Slappo]

[quote name='Era Might' date='17 February 2010 - 04:02 PM' timestamp='1266451344' post='2058547']
I like some of those suggestions more than others. For example, I am not a fan of volunteerism, because it inevitably leads to a situation where the volunteers push socio-cultural ideology on others (even though the volunteers have good intentions, and they may not even realize that they are pushing ideology).

I don't think that the list addresses the most important point and the very first step that we need to take: in order to fight poverty, we need to become poor. And of course, there is a difference between poverty and destitution...nobody should be destitute; everyone should have enough to live, and ideally we would all be content with having just enough. Before we even seek to help others, we need to address our own personal complicity in a culture of endless production and consumption. Here are some useful thoughts from Peter Maurin:
[/quote]


I don't think that it is necessary to become materially poor at all, but to live in a [b]spirit of poverty[/b]. King David was by far not materially poor, yet he was one of the most poor in spirit in his day and age.

I'm $70,000 in debt but I'm not poor. I don't want to become more materially poor than I am because I have loans to pay, but I can still live in a spirit of poverty.

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='Slappo' date='17 February 2010 - 07:12 PM' timestamp='1266451926' post='2058552']
I don't think that it is necessary to become materially poor at all, but to live in a [b]spirit of poverty[/b]. King David was by far not materially poor, yet he was one of the most poor in spirit in his day and age.

I'm $70,000 in debt but I'm not poor. I don't want to become more materially poor than I am because I have loans to pay, but I can still live in a spirit of poverty.
[/quote]

I agree, Slappo. It is not always necessary to become actually poor (unless one is called to a vow of poverty), but we should all be poor in spirit.

[Era Might]

[quote name='Slappo' date='17 February 2010 - 07:12 PM' timestamp='1266451926' post='2058552']
I don't think that it is necessary to become materially poor at all, but to live in a [b]spirit of poverty[/b]. King David was by far not materially poor, yet he was one of the most poor in spirit in his day and age.

I'm $70,000 in debt but I'm not poor. I don't want to become more materially poor than I am because I have loans to pay, but I can still live in a spirit of poverty.
[/quote]
I believe that voluntary material poverty is essential to reforming society. By poverty, I do not mean that we need to renounce all possessions, but that we need to live as simply as possible. I believe that this must be a material poverty, and not only a "spirit of poverty." But this poverty must be voluntary...we must freely embrace it.

The reason why I believe that the poverty we embrace must be material, and not only spiritual, is because we are trying to fight a material problem. Poverty is about people not having enough of what they need (food, clothes, homes, etc.). As Peter Maurin says: "...nobody would be poor / if everyone tried to be the poorest."

[CatherineM]

We probably live close to the poverty line. We don't live in poverty though. We may live in a part of town that most people are afraid to drive through, but we own our little apartment. Part of it is self-esteem, and being content with enough.

[cmotherofpirl]

It depends on how you define poverty and "simple living". Does it mean living in a cardboard box? Or cutting back to two cars instead of three? Or not buying new clothes for several years etc? Turning off your heat? Throwing half your possessions away? Half your books?

Everyone talks about it, but few people actually define it.

[Era Might]

[quote name='CatherineM' date='17 February 2010 - 07:31 PM' timestamp='1266453061' post='2058557']
We probably live close to the poverty line. We don't live in poverty though. We may live in a part of town that most people are afraid to drive through, but we own our little apartment. Part of it is self-esteem, and being content with enough.
[/quote]
I think that part of the problem is precisely this idea of "the poverty line," which creates an artificial and arbitrary standard that we then use to define social goals. This kind of standard is what drives so-called "development" in the so-called "third world." We try to re-make the so-called "third world" according to our ideas and standards of socio-economic "modernization." This is one of the reasons why I am not a fan of volunteerism, because these volunteer organizations, despite the good intentions of the volunteers, inevitably spread the ideology of modernization; in the process, we erode the traditional cultures of subsistence in those countries. Volunteerism inevitably leads to a modern form of colonization, where other countries are trying to live up to the ways of life of the so-called "first world," ways of life which depend on a culture of endless production and consumption.

[Era Might]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' date='17 February 2010 - 07:40 PM' timestamp='1266453644' post='2058559']
It depends on how you define poverty and "simple living". Does it mean living in a cardboard box? Or cutting back to two cars instead of three? Or not buying new clothes for several years etc? Turning off your heat? Throwing half your possessions away? Half your books?

Everyone talks about it, but few people actually define it.
[/quote]
It is not something that should be defined. Peter Maurin's point is basically that, rather than trying to outdo each other in wealth, we should be trying to outdo each other in poverty. It is similar to how St. Paul says to "outdo one another in showing honor" (Romans 12:10). St. Paul doesn't define limits to showing honor; he just says to outdo each other in showing honor. In other words, there are no limits, because we are compelled by love rather than by law.

[Winchester]

[quote name='Slappo' date='17 February 2010 - 07:12 PM' timestamp='1266451926' post='2058552']
I'm $70,000 in debt [/quote]
Amateur.

[ardillacid]

[quote name='Resurrexi' date='17 February 2010 - 06:13 PM' timestamp='1266448386' post='2058525']

...

How to Kick Poverty’s Butt

How can we as men help kick poverty’s butt? Here are a few suggestions.

...
[mod]language--ICP[/mod]
[/quote]
Wow, Res, I really thought you were above foul language like this

[ardillacid]

[quote name='Era Might' date='17 February 2010 - 07:19 PM' timestamp='1266452342' post='2058554']
I believe that voluntary material poverty is essential to reforming society. By poverty, I do not mean that we need to renounce all possessions, but that we need to live as simply as possible.

[/quote]
...said the man on the internet

Just teasing, I liked your post

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='notardillacid' date='18 February 2010 - 03:06 AM' timestamp='1266480380' post='2058741']
Wow, Res, I really thought you were above foul language like this
[/quote]

I just copied and pasted the article. I forgot that it had that in it.

[Era Might]

[quote name='notardillacid' date='18 February 2010 - 03:09 AM' timestamp='1266480567' post='2058742']
...said the man on the internet

Just teasing, I liked your post
[/quote]
Haha. Yeah, believe me, I'm the first person who needs to follow my own advice. We're all caught up in our own difficulties in living up to ideals...I completely understand that. Hopefully, as each of us makes personal decisions to live up to ideals, then that will lead to a society where it is easier for everyone to live up to ideals, because we will have so many good examples around us.

[Socrates]

[quote name='Slappo' date='17 February 2010 - 07:12 PM' timestamp='1266451926' post='2058552']
I don't think that it is necessary to become materially poor at all, but to live in a [b]spirit of poverty[/b]. King David was by far not materially poor, yet he was one of the most poor in spirit in his day and age.

I'm $70,000 in debt but I'm not poor. I don't want to become more materially poor than I am because I have loans to pay, but I can still live in a spirit of poverty.
[/quote]
I agree. It's always important to be poor in spirit, and it's good to avoid excessive personal luxury and conspicuous consumption. However, everyone becoming materially poorer in itself will do nothing to fight poverty. Wealth is not a static thing in need of being "fairly" re-distributed, but is created through human labor and ingenuity. When people are able to succeed and create more wealth, everybody is better off. More jobs and opportunity are created, which helps people out of poverty. It's the rich who create jobs for others.

[quote name='Era Might' date='17 February 2010 - 07:19 PM' timestamp='1266452342' post='2058554']
I believe that voluntary material poverty is essential to reforming society. By poverty, I do not mean that we need to renounce all possessions, but that we need to live as simply as possible. I believe that this must be a material poverty, and not only a "spirit of poverty." But this poverty must be voluntary...we must freely embrace it.

The reason why I believe that the poverty we embrace must be material, and not only spiritual, is because we are trying to fight a material problem. Poverty is about people not having enough of what they need (food, clothes, homes, etc.). As Peter Maurin says: "...nobody would be poor / if everyone tried to be the poorest."
[/quote]


[quote name='Era Might' date='17 February 2010 - 07:49 PM' timestamp='1266454191' post='2058565']
I think that part of the problem is precisely this idea of "the poverty line," which creates an artificial and arbitrary standard that we then use to define social goals. This kind of standard is what drives so-called "development" in the so-called "third world." We try to re-make the so-called "third world" according to our ideas and standards of socio-economic "modernization." This is one of the reasons why I am not a fan of volunteerism, because these volunteer organizations, despite the good intentions of the volunteers, inevitably spread the ideology of modernization; in the process, we erode the traditional cultures of subsistence in those countries. Volunteerism inevitably leads to a modern form of colonization, where other countries are trying to live up to the ways of life of the so-called "first world," ways of life which depend on a culture of endless production and consumption.
[/quote]
The truth is that a free market system does in fact create more wealth for people and allows people to rise out of poverty. The most effective thing to help people in countries facing chronic poverty is to create opportunities for people to rise out of poverty. It's the whole "teach a man to fish" principle.
If the social-economic and structures and corrupt politics of a country leave much of its people in destitution and starving, it's good to work to change these things.