Poverty

Last week on the local news station they did a special report throughout the week focusing on poverty within Ottawa, the different ways people are effected by it, how people are trying to get out of it. I wish I had taken note of some of the statistics they showed as it was shocking. For somewhere as developed as Canada is, the majority of families live in poverty or on the borderline of it and the gap between rich and poor is widening with more in the "poor" category. It really got me thinking along numerous different lines..... first of all, how lucky I am to have the gospel in my life to know that money isn't everything and can't buy happiness and to have some sound counsel from a living prophet about how we should not get into debt and being able to pay tithing which brings enormous blessings. It also got me thinking about my personal situation especially as we have some big changes coming up....
There was one story about a family that really had me thinking about my situation. It was a family that had just emigrated from India, a mother and father and their two young children. They had come hoping for a better life for their family. Both of the parents were incredibly intelligent with degrees in electrical engineering and teaching, so they weren't coming here looking for handouts, they were prepared. However, neither had been able to find jobs. The father was working full time at a coffee shop while waiting for security clearance which would allow him to find a job in his field.... it was over a year at the point of taping and he still hadn't heard anything. The mother wasn't working as they couldn't afford childcare and the point of them moving here was so she could be at home with her sons and not having to work. Their monthly income was approx $1400. They would not say they were living in poverty because they don't like that word or stereotype and they would not apply for welfare as that is not why they moved here and they don't want to teach their children that being on welfare is an easy way out.

I heard this story and immediately had admiration for this family. I would share a lot of their beliefs so to speak. Ryan and I would hope that if possible, that I would be able to stay home with our family as counselled by our prophet. We also feel self pride and would never take welfare and would not want our kids to grow up thinking that that would be an acceptable alternative to hard work. And then I started to think about the word poverty. According to the definitions put out about poverty Ryan and I would be on the borderline of being in poverty. This makes absolute no sense to me. Now obviously we're not rich, we're still young and Ryan is at the bottom of his career ladder gaining the much needed experience jobs require, we're also in a better situation than a lot of people as we have and are building some savings and are extremely lucky not to have any debt and are very careful about using our credit cards and paying bills on time etc etc. We found a house that we could afford, we bought a car we could afford and we have the necessity's in life. Which makes me think that poverty is a way of thinking as well as a stereotyped situation in life. Can people really be happy with less?? We are bombarded in these days with people telling us that we need more and more and that the more you have the happier you are and the more people will like you. I can tell you right now that's a lie. If Ryan and I are in poverty right now then we are completely oblivious to that fact as we are happy. As long as we have enough for our needs we will be content. Now things will get tight in the future but there are things we can do without. The world tells us all the things we need when really you can get by without a car, without the newest furniture, without more bedrooms than you can ever imagine using, without the cleaning lady and the constant makeovers and the expensive trips (as wonderful as they can be!). I wonder if we all made life a little simpler if we would all be a lot happier???
How many people sacrifice their happiness to spend spend spend to get the things they want and their outward appearance is that everything is just wonderful but really they are sacrificing so much by creating that appearance by digging themselves more and more into debt and worry and stress which just causes misery?

Now this is not meant to be a negative against those who have money as well. The Lord blesses us with nice things as well sometimes, I just think it is the way we use them and view them that is the real reason why we are blessed with them, it is the Lords way of seeing if we will help the poor and the meek, the weary and the lame. With great blessings come great responsibilities.