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Author: Ravi Jayakaran
Date: 05.03.2010
Category: Poverty and Wealth
As a development practioner I have always been focused on the issue of Poverty and how to fight it. As a Christian , my focus is on the marginalized, the overlooked and downtrodden- and this too has called for a focus on the poor and issues of poverty. As I write this blog I realize that wealth and issues of wealth do also closely figure with issues of poverty, for it is often the relentless selfish pursuit of wealth that results in poverty for others. Someone once said, ’the world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for their greed’. Jesus often spoke about both the poor and the wealthy, so there is a need for us to also look at both these states as states to be seen in comparison with each other.
In recent years I have defined Poverty as follows:
“when your expenditure on a consistent basis is more than your income without the creation of an asset, you are poor”. I have never tried to define wealth, because that has not been my focus. By the same type of definition, I suppose wealth could be defined as follows: “when your income on a consistent basis is more than you expenditure, allowing you to generate surplus to purchase assets, you can be considered to be on the way to becoming wealthy”. Let us consider these two definitions as our starting point and explore them further through dialoging about them. Once we have engaged on this , let us also try and see what the Bible says about these two states and their interaction with each other. Let us also explore the comparison and interaction between the two states and see what spiritual lessons Jesus says we can learn from being in either of these states. The Bible says the poor are blessed, and also talks of wealth as a blessing….
I hope I have managed to provoke the readers enough through these initial words to start the conversation. I look forward to hearing your thoughts…
Keywords: development, poverty, wealth, dialogue, spiritual lessons
Views: 13313
Comments: 14
Recommendations: 1
Conversation Post Comment
Bolivia
I deeply agree with this Ravi’s clear statement on
wealth and poverty :
"The negative imbalances are often caused because of irresponsible overspending, and in the developed world influenced by consumerism, this number is growing at an incredible pace. On the other hand there are those who experience this negative ratio because their existing income doesn’t
meet even their basic needs. Over time such people become desperate"
This situation is a time bomb for social and political
stability of our countries and the whole planet and big destructive pressure over the natural resources these sectors may have access to.
The link below is a very good 20-minute video presentation on consumerism and the profound damages it causes to the whole planet that reinforce this point stated by Ravi. The consumerism system, from extraction through
sale, use and disposal, seriously damage communities, families, individuals and
environment trapped by that system. This video also helps us to understand how
the pursuing of "stuff consumerism" of the wealthy
seriously affects their own countries and future, as well as communities
at home and abroad. Unfortunately many impoverished communities at home in
their countries as abroad, long for the same type of lifestyles and consumerism
of the wealthy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM&feature=channel
Thanks Ravi for addressing these issues.
Jose Miguel De Angulo
18.10.2010
United Kingdom
I am pleased to read Jose Miguel DeAngulo’s comment about ceasing to use ’poor’ as a word in this issue. Impoversihed says a lot more. Use of ’poor’ in English has more than one meaning but when one is used othersd are either inferred or taken as meant. If ’poor’ just meant lacking in certain items or areas of life it would be fine. Unfortunately it also has a connotation of someone to be looked down on ’poor boy’. This has ledu to think of the materially poor as people to be pitied in every area leaving the non-poor to feel or to be thought of as, superior. This has led to the arrogance of the West in many ways. Those who are materially poor are not necessarily spiritually or emotionally or even socially ’poor’
Does anyone know of work done in this sort of area?
03.06.2010
Bolivia
@ Ralph_Hanger:
Yes Ralph, I appreciate your comments about our understanding on this issue (the poor vs. the impoverished). I do not know if it will be arrogance or a ’niveness’ of the West (or a mix of both), but what you say is at the core of what is hindering impoverished communities to overcome poverty. There is a strong dominant social construct that “the poor” are "there”, like in a “natural” or perpetuated state, waiting till outsiders come with certain development activities to get them out of poverty. These development attitudes has dominated XX century and unfortunately it seems that continues in this one. This social construct seriously hinders the awareness of impoverished people to see that they count with God’s image and likeness in themselves, that God did not created poor people (therefore nobody IS poor). This strongly contributes to perpetuate suffering and deprivations in impoverished communities. We need urgently to overcome that inadequate western understanding of development and to acknowledge that sustainable and human development needs to profoundly acknowledge the centrality of the people themselves. Communities have not been built from the “top down” or from the” outside in”.
Development is a process of “becoming” that needs to be “from within” the communities themselves. They are the ones that need to engage in a pilgrim of gaining awareness about their own history, and potentialities, and the multiple internal and external factors that determines conditions of poverty. They are the ones who have been called to assume responsibility for their history and changing processes,; they are the ones that need to see “We are the people we have been waiting for”, and that they can make radical shifts in their own history to construct a new history in which they can live in peace, satisfaction of their real needs, and harmony with each other, nature and God. It is exciting to see development processes here in Latin America that are focused on human process transformation, in which self agency and co-agency of their own processes find very creative paths to build those new ways of relating and writing their own history. On the subject of development it is also very appropriated and powerful this theological foundation that the time has arrived for the “priesthood of the believers”. There is incredible amount of grace for those who are open and believe how that God’s grace can operate directly through them. What do you thing about these ideas?
06.06.2010
United States
@ Ralph_Hanger:
Dear Antonin: Thanks for your response. You are right that a negative imbalance between income and expenditure on a continuous basis without creating an asset results in poverty. Really speaking it is not so much about what the actual income is as , how it compares to expenditure. The negative imbalances are often caused because of irresponsible overspending, and in the developed world influenced by consumerism, this number is growing at an incredible pace. On the other hand there are those who experience this negative ratio because their existing income doesn’t meet even their basic needs. Over time such people become desperate. These are the ones that need our special attention and support. On the issue of MDGs, I believe they give us diretion for focusing our efforts..but I also believe that even with all our cumulative best efforts...we will never eradicate poverty completely.
05.08.2010
South Africa
@ Ralph_Hanger:
Dear Ralph and Jose - I am so pleased to read your comments regarding not talking about ’the poor’. As a ’non-poor’ living in one of the most economically divided countries in the world (South Africa) I have become increasingly uncomfortable with the way I (and many in the West or of a Western world view) glibbly refer to ’the poor’. I have begun to talk about ’poverty’ - the condition, and to wean myself of calling groups of people with certain demographics as ’the poor’. Talking about ’the poor’ (no matter how we try and qualify it) leaves those who see themselves as ’not poor’ as somehow superior, somehow holding the initiative. In turn it can create hopelessness amongst those being referred to as ’the poor’. Definately we need to challenge our current use of language and labels and find a new means of expression. We have become trapped and polarised by our current terminology when talking about poverty and wealth.
18.10.2010
Togo
World Vision’s publications have blessed my since the discovery of Walking with the Poor by Bryant L. Myers five years ago. Recently I was very much impressed by the reading of article of Jayakumar Christian in “Working with the poor”; where you also have a paper. I would easily consider it a course book on poverty as it can easily be used to discuss the different facets of poverty. But, your description of poverty here is very challenging. I read it a week ago and kept thinking about it while I got busy on other things. It gave me a certain ground to tackle Jesus words: ““For you have the poor with you always”. In fact following your description, whatever the wealth there would always be poverty as long as men do not chose a ‘reasonable’ life style to make it simple. Your thinking goes beyond the simple and easy taxonomies to tackle the very depth of the issue. But, what should then be the focus of Christian development workers following that. On another note, how do you personally reconcile Jesus saying: “For you have the poor with you always”, the MDG #1 to “end (extreme) poverty and hunger” and Christian development workers efforts?
05.08.2010
Bolivia
This is a very interesting debate. Even though there are many ways of defining poverty (because there are many subjective ways of experiencing it), I consider it is important to discuss poverty and wealth from the financial point of view. This type of financial poverty entraps large sectors of population to certain type of life conditions making them to experience poverty in many other areas beyond the financial one.
Living under the conditions as properly Ravi described, “when your expenditure on a consistent basis is more than your income without the creation of an asset, you are poor” seriously erodes people capability to experience the fullness of life.
I also like to discuss the interaction between wealth and poverty because, unfortunately, there are different ways of creating wealth. We can do it as result of wise, efficient and effective ways of interaction with nature and changes of production respecting others rights and needs, or we can create wealth by using "clever" mechanisms to take advantage from other;s work, efforts or resources.
Unfortunately many times creation of wealth is at the expense of impoverishing others. In Latino America we are trying not to use the word “poor” (because God has not created poor people and nobody IS poor). We talk about “the impoverished” who unfortunately many times is result of wealth creation by minorities at the expenses of other’s suffering. We urgently need wealth creation to live as properly Ravi describes “when your income on a consistent basis is more than you expenditure, allowing you to generate surplus to purchase assets, you can be considered to be on the way to becoming wealthy”. We need to discuss how we can do it from a Kingdom’s perspective, with a profound commitment to justice in order we can create proper conditions for the full development of this and the coming generations.
Jose Miguel De Angulo
03.05.2010
United Kingdom
I’m very glad to see Ravi linking poverty and wealth closely together having been convinced for many years that there is a link - and that we should focus as much on the rich as on the poor in any process of poverty alleviation. I was awakened to this many years ago by a statement in Jim Walis’ book Call to Conversion - ’The poor are not your problem; you [the rich] are their problem.’
Dewi Hughes, Theological Advisor, Tearfund, Wales [UK]
18.03.2010
United States
@ Dewi_Arwel: Amen
30.04.2010
Canada
I think we may need to develop your definitions of poverty & wealth a little further. Using your current definitions all of us in the west who are living beyond our means and not growing asset(s) are living in poverty?
31.03.2010
United States
@ lakesidebaptist: yes
30.04.2010
Singapore
Poverty can be defined and measured in several ways. In general, we should consider two aspects: Absolute poverty (number of people living below a defined poverty line) and Relative poverty (level of poverty based on the distribution of income in a society).
Ravi Jayakaran’s definition implies no saving or investing of income, the spending of all income (actually more than income), and the incurring of debt (since expenditure exceeds income). It was interesting to notice the definition also includes (whether delibrately or unintentionally) those who choose to live beyond their means (see comment by Lakeside church).
Emmanuel Luna described the poor in a more qualitative manner - - whether they could afford their basic needs. His focus on basic needs is helpful and it relates the poor to absolute poverty - - People are considered poor when their income level falls below a minimum level ("poverty line") necessary to meet basic needs. As he points out, the income required to satisfy basic needs varies according to place and local situation.
Poverty can also be defined in terms of “relative poverty” - - The poor are those who receive relatively low income in comparison to others. Sadly, such definitions often highlight the wide gap in income between the wealthy and the poor.
Besides income-based measures of poverty, there are also non-income dimensions of poverty, most notably in the Human Development Report prepared annually by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
23.04.2010
Philippines
Poverty has become very relative, depending on the context and on the one experiencing it. It might be difficult to come out with a single definition of being "poor" because of this. Even minimum income requirement is subject to the standard of living in a given locale. We can describe who the poor are in a more qualitative manner, quite different from others because of the different situation where the poor is in. We can also make categories of "poor" such as 1) Survival- those who can not meet the basic needs; 2) Able to meet minimum needs- those who can just barely meet the needs;3) non-materially poor-those who might have sufficient material wealth but due to socio-psychological or environmental reason, can be considered as poor, i.e. those in middle of wars who can not access basic needs; and other vulnerable groups. Of course, what is basic has to be defined by each culture. For us in the tropics, a blanket is not that basic but in a temperate climate, it is.
11.04.2010
United States
I see poverty as an experience of hopelessness, a lack of options due to factors beyond one’s own control. Whether it be caste system, warfare, corruption, whatever... there is a systemic element to poverty-- a mix of factors that create and sustain it. Personally, I feel it would be useful to start examining some of the factors that create and maintain poverty, how they interact with each other, where the weakest links in the cycles are, and where the church of Jesus Christ in all its forms can plug in to the greatest effect. It takes a system to transform a system, and the Lausanne movment is an ideal nurturing environment for just such a response to begin to formulate a systemic response to poverty.
02.04.2010
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