Honoring Humanity In Everyday Life | About

Poverty and Wealth – Living in the Tension

Elevating the contrast.

I’ve traveled all my life, but the trip to Slovenia is my first chance to sit in business class. Clean. Beautiful. Quiet. Within this space of luxury, I read a book.

Dancing in the Glory of Monsters is an account of the war in Congo. With story, interviews, and history, Jason Stearns recounts the horrors, hopelessness, and inhumanity of the war.

The contrast strikes me. I am in the front of the plane, well fed, warm, sheltered, cared for, and at rest. The stories recounted in the book are of people who are hungry, cold, homeless, alone, and under stress. But I should be fair. It doesn’t take a business class flight to highlight the differences between our circumstances. The contrasts exist every day.

How to live? How to respond?

Tension. Contrast.

***

Simplistic answers
Proposals in absolute
Often mask the truth

Some answers seem perfect. They give something simple and actionable. Do this. Believe that. Everything will be fine, they promise.

But they mask complexity. They cast aside the thousand other questions that come up with each answer. Matters of poverty and wealth are a world of contrasts. Each answer has another side – another way of looking at it.

Tension. Contrast.

We choose who we are
But not all get the same chance
To make those choices

What separates us? Why do some have everything, such as you and me, and others have nothing, such as the rest of the world?

To one side, everyone is responsible for their choices. No one can choose their circumstances, but everyone can choose how to respond to the challenge and hardship of life. They can work hard, and build something from their troubles.

But I say that as one who does not have everything stacked against him. I won the lottery of birth. I was born into a loving, wealthy, and educated family. I did nothing to make that happen. If you’re reading this right now, chances are good that you also won that lottery.

But some do not. Some are born into nations in constant war and turmoil. By no fault of their own, they live in terror and hopelessness. Some are born into societies of poverty. By no fault of their own they live in thirst and hunger. Some are born into regimes of slavery. By no fault of their own they live in fear and oppression.

Tension. Contrast.

What have you to give
Money is one such option
But is it helpful

Giving money brings relief. In moments of disaster, aid crews and doctors provide assistance to those that cannot afford otherwise. To poor hospitals, it provides advanced medical equipment, saving the lives of many. But it isn’t always a good thing.

PJ O’Rourke may have been joking when he commented that, “You can’t get rid of poverty by giving people money,” but giving money causes harm. It lowers the dignity of those who receive. It creates dependence instead of independence. It removes the incentives to change.

Tension. Contrast.

Do you change nothing
For your wealth employs many
But not everyone

Living the lifestyle you do now, buying what you buy and using the services you do, creates jobs and opportunity for those less fortunate. Most may remain poorer than you, but they have enough for a happy and reasonable living.

But what about the places where it doesn’t? What about mines where the lack of regulation allows the owners to exploit their workers. What about the factories where children work long hours at the expense of an education and hope for a future? What about the industries that destroy the environment, sacrificing the health of the surrounding population? Without them, the goods you enjoy would be more expensive.

Tension. Contrast.

Choices of commerce
Can shape the world we dwell in
What will you decide

Buying sustainable products – something that can be created indefinitely without bringing harm to anyone – upholds the members involved. Money does influence. Choosing to not buy something because of the conditions of the workers – blood diamonds for example, is a small action. But small actions add up.

Yet, there is a danger. Conscious consumerism satisfies the need to do something. You buy and live the same life, satisfied that you have changed the world. And though you have improved things for a few, many people still suffer.

Tension. Contrast.

Become as they are
Give it all to those without
Should we all be poor

Should you go as far as possible and live a life of poverty yourself? Should you give all your money to those less fortunate and live as they do? Simplicity has value. Experiencing the realities of poverty creates humility. But the extreme also has its problems.

Living in that poverty may take away your ability to give from our best skill and talent. You perform at the highest level when your needs are met. From that place of weakness, you may not bring your highest value to others.

Tension. Contrast.

In guilt we often
Awake from our apathy
And try to do good

Guilt motivates. Your conscience stirs you to help. You feel responsible. And from that guilt, you do great things. You give to charity. You volunteer. You shop differently. Many people benefit.

But guilt lowers those involved. You act of resentment instead of generosity. Everything remains about you. The standing of the poor stays the same in your mind. You are still the superior.

Tension. Contrast.

***

Embrace the challenge
Become uncomfortable
Then you’ll find wisdom

The questions do not end, and you may never find answers. But at some point, you have to live. You have to live within the tension.

And maybe that’s the point: living. Instead of trying to figure out the right response or the perfect answer, engage the uncomfortable. Act and learn instead of residing in the theory. Interact with others. Listen.

In the second day of the World Domination Summit, Jen and Andrea leave a small gift under our chairs. On an index card, a handwritten note lifts up wisdom to each of us. Mine says, “Embrace the questions. It’s OK not to know.” That’s not a bad way to live.

Raise others up high
Receive their humanity
Reach the depths of love

Always strive to build.

Build dignity. Act in ways that lift up. Treat others with respect. Support organizations that exist not to just solve a problem but to honor those they serve.

Build hope. Give people a way to take care of themselves. Help them gain independence. Job training and entrepreneurship are but a few examples.

Build relationships. Learn names. Form connections.

Build work that matters. Add value to people.

Is not all of life
A gift that is not deserved
The response is thanks

Live in gratitude. It goes deeper than saying thank you. Gratefulness is a way of living – a constant choice to see all that is good around you. It is a position of humility. From that space you offer the best of what you have to the world.

I sit in the business class lounge in the Madrid airport, reflecting on my experience at the front of the plane. I write:

I am overwhelmed with gratitude.
Thankful to Sarah for letting me take the trip without her. Someday, I’d love to experience it with her.
Thankful for Chris Guillebeau who introduced me to the world of travel hacking. Without air miles, I would be in the back of the plane.
Thankful to have an opportunity to learn and grow and be.
Thankful for the luck to have been born into a family that was rich and connected.
Thankful to have family that gives boundless love and support.
Thankful for my experiences in Kenya.
Thankful to have the opportunity to give something back to the world.
Thankful to be alive.

***

How do you live in the tension between wealth and poverty? What guidelines do you find helpful?

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Elevating the contrast. I made this photo in the air between Chicago and Madrid.