The Poverty Cycle

Throughout all history, poverty has been present. Whether it be the Hebrews who were enslaved by the Egyptians around 1500 BCE, or even during our current times. Today, there are more impoverish people then ever before. As Jeffrey Sachs estimates in Common Wealth, approximately 1/6 of the world's population, is considered to be living in poverty. This amounts to around one billion people. Living in the United States can be very limiting at times because it gives you the idea that everyone in the world lives like you do. In all reality, even the poorest people in the United States aren't considered impoverish on a global standard. The poorest people in the world often live in the most unstable countries. They are surrounded by constant political instability, war and violent conflicts, and little resources. In order to survive these conditions, impoverish people use their resources until they have none left and inevitably, poor living conditions lead to disease and death. This continues until someone intervenes. I call this the poverty cycle. The problem with this cycle is one that cannot be broken unless intervened upon by an outside force.

The question then must be asked, "How can one help?" or, "Who needs help the most?" We give money when hurricanes hit or earthquakes strike, but how do we actually make a difference? By giving money to charitable companies we quell our inner guilt, satisfying our conscience and continuing about our daily lives. Lives which include clean water, shelter, and food. However, should we really even feel guilty? Maybe instead, we should just feel blessed that we are not in a similar situation. The bottom line is that there is a multitude of poor people in this world. Unfortunately, there is not enough resources to help everyone. No matter how hard we try, there will always be people who need help. Undoubtably, the percentage of population living in poverty will only increase; UNLESS, the world as a whole realizes the importance of helping others.