Poverty

08-07-2003, 08:28 PM

"As long as you have poverty, you will have problem with dealing
illicit trafficking in cultural property be it India or elsewhere,"
said Galla, an India-born Australian.

I like to expand on this : As long as you have poverty, you will
problem with almost anything : Education, Health, Human rights, and
other social issues.

08-08-2003, 05:28 AM

>I like to expand on this : As long as you have
>poverty, you will problem with almost anything :
>education, Health, Human rights, and other social
>issues.

I agree. This is so very true. But let us define
poverty. Poverty is not the lack of material wealth. I
have met very many happy and joyous people who have no
material wealth at all. Poverty is the lack of confort
and joy in the soul. Poverty is desperation caused by
wanting things that you cannot have, aspiring to goals
you cannot reach, the belief that others have
opportunities that you do not. We each need to be
content with whatever we have, thanking the Divine for
whatever opportunities she has granted us.
Yet, at the same, time, societies need to be
structured so that everyone has equal opportunities
for gaining the things that are valued in the society.
Everyone needs to be protected from crime. Everyone
wants to feel secure that her/his needs will be met in
old age. Everyone needs to know that her/his children
will be safe and happy.
I live in the United States. This is the richest
and most powerful country in the world, yet every
large city has a slum filled with desperately poor
people. They have no hope for a better life, and many
of them turn to crime. The people who have money live
elsewhere, driving their huge automobiles around their
pretty grassy suburbs, watching their satellite
televisions, never visiting the poor parts of town.
Many have guns to protect themselves in the event that
someone from the poor section of town should stray
into their sections. They all think that this is
normal, that all the world lives like this. Few of the
rich understand that the existance of such poverty
hurts everyone, including the rich.

Sister Usha Devi

=====
Sister Usha Devi
Founder, Divinely Female and worshipper of the Sacred Flame that shines inside
every woman

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