The Brutal Truth About Poverty That Most People Don’t Want to Believe
Daisy Luther
There is one brutal truth about poverty that most people who aren’t experiencing it refuse to believe.
And that truth is that it can happen to anyone. Any one of us could
face a change in circumstances that turns everything we’ve worked for
upside-down. You may have made the right decisions your entire life only
to watch everything vanish. Our savings could be wiped out, our
possessions destroyed, our health ruined, and our prospects dismal.
Poverty can happen to anyone whether you want to admit it or not. Especially now.
I’ve written a lot lately on my other website about the dire
financial circumstances in which many of us are finding ourselves. In
the United States and other countries, our economies have been all but destroyed by the government’s response to the virus. It’s gotten so bad in the US that people who never would have considered shoplifting anything before are now stealing food for their families.
Having lived through these circumstances myself – and on more than
one occasion – I cannot think back to a single purchase, decision, or
error that caused my own fall from economic grace. Sure, I occasionally
took my small children out for a Happy Meal at McDonald’s or bought them
some candy at the checkout line in the grocery store. But when you’re
talking about financial problems on the scale of losing your home or
vehicle, a purchase of a few dollars here and there is unlikely to have
been the entire cause of the catastrophe.
Even the most obtuse person should be able to see this situation,
look at the number of lost jobs and businesses that have gone under, and
the increasing prices of food and rent, and say, wow, these people are
facing true hard times because of governmental mandates.
Well, that’s what you’d think.
People who haven’t experienced poverty often lack compassion.
But, as expected, many of the comments on these articles are less
than compassionate. There’s something about the suffering of others that
makes people want to put distance between themselves and those who are
struggling to survive.
To hear others tell the story from their lofty perches, anyone who
has money problems blew all their money on tattoos they got during
better times, on the cell phone contract they’re locked into that is the
only way the school can reach them, or on the game system that Grandma
bought for your children last Christmas. With their judgmental eagle
eyes, they scour your photos on social media or your homes or your
grocery cart and they look for reasons this is all your fault.
Why?
Because if they can somehow make hunger or poverty the other person’s
fault, particularly through poor choices or character flaws, then they
can assure themselves it could never happen to them. They can
feel safe from the possibility of hunger, homelessness, or financial
distress because they make better choices and they are better people.
They can exclude the possibility of experiencing grave poverty because
they’re not like that person they’re looking down on.
Difficult financial times don’t mean you’re a bad or stupid person.
I guess the reason I’m writing this article is that if you are suffering, I want you to know that there are
people out there who understand. I want you to know that it isn’t your
fault and that isn’t a character flaw. Poverty itself is not a
personality defect.
Sure, there are some folks who are just lazy and don’t want to work.
There are people who have various addictions that mean they have no
money left for bills or food. There are reasons that some people will
never be successful.
But I don’t think the majority of people who are struggling
necessarily fall into those categories. And that’s especially untrue for
people who had what seemed like a stable job and a hefty emergency fund
until Covid-19 rolled around and wiped out their employment and forced
them to live off their emergency funds.
Sometimes bad things happen to us.
And when it does, we have to shrug off the cruel words of those who
don’t understand and carry on. We have to find a way to survive our new
circumstances.
Here’s my advice.
If your circumstances have changed dramatically, you may be reeling
in shock. You may have found yourself in a position you never even
imagined. Here are the things you should do to begin figuring your way
out of this situation. And please keep in mind that these are not
overnight solutions. You may struggle for a period of time, particularly
given our economic forecast. Focus on what you can do, not on the grim
predictions of the media. The economy in general is something that you
personally cannot control.
- See where you’re at. You need to identify exactly how bad your situation is. This article can help you audit your finances so you know exactly what’s coming in and what’s going out.
- Mentally adapt to your situation. It’s very important once you have
those numbers down in black in white that you wrap your head around the
situation. You need to adjust your thinking about the way you spend,
what you can afford, and what is now out of reach. Here are some tips to help you mentally adapt.
- Prioritize where you spend your money. This means
keeping a roof over your head, food in your kitchen, and in cases where
you need it for work, a car in your driveway. This article can help you figure out what to do when you can’t pay your bills.
- Talk to your creditors. Next you need to contact
your creditors. Otherwise you’re going to have the added stress of bill
collectors calling you non-stop. Trust me, nobody needs that. Here’s a guide to talking to creditors.
- Make dramatic changes. You may be in a situation in
which dramatic changes are required. This won’t be fun. It could mean
giving up your home, giving up your car, moving in with a family member,
taking your kids out of extracurriculars, and dialing everything back
to pure survival. Here are some ways to reduce your fixed expenses.
- Talk to your kids. Explaining the new financial
situation to your children is not an easy conversation. But it’s
essential they know what’s going on so that you can all pull together to
make things better. Here’s how to break it to your kids that you’re broke.
I’ve written about my own experiences with poverty in a PDF book called Lifestyles of the Flat Broke and Resilient. You can buy a copy here,
or, if you’re in a situation in which you can’t afford it, simply drop
us an email and let us know you’d like a copy. Write to us at
books@theorganicprepper.com and put Lifestyles Book in the subject line
and we’ll get it out to you within the next couple of days, no questions
asked.
This may be one of the biggest challenges you ever face.
A change in financial circumstances can be devastating in many ways. it is a humbling experience like no other.
Not only are the material things changed – and perhaps gone –
forever, but it takes a massive toll on your self-esteem. The way other
people may treat you won’t help that a bit. When I went through my own
hard times, I could never decide which was worse, pity or scorn. Both
are humiliating.
But when you dig your way out of this – and you can and you will –
you are going to possess a new kind of strength and compassion that can
only be earned through trial by fire. You will be unstoppable.
So hang in there. Keep your head high. And keep going.
