Introduction
Poverty creates scores of problems in the society; that is a fact that many people living in various parts of the world identify with. But what is poverty? Poverty can be defined as lack of certain or all basic or material things including, money, shelter, food and water, education, health, and clothing, among others.
Usually, poverty can be defined by comparing the life status of different people in a given society. It is a relative component depending on the prevailing societal conditions. It is interesting to note that practically, all the problems that are linked to poverty, are either directly or indirectly caused by lack of or inadequacy of money, thus, it can confidently be said that money is the largest determinant of poverty.
Problems of Poverty
Poverty can create many problems and challenges in life, with most of them being a direct result of absolute inaccessibility or inadequacy. To start with, poverty causes the lack of material or basic needs as mentioned above.
Living in shanties, lack of or inadequate access to food and water, lack of accessibility to health facilities, education facilities, and nutritional services, are all characteristics that define poverty. Thus, poverty comes with unpleasant consequences, which range from deaths, committing crimes, malnutrition, exposure to harsh weather conditions, ignorance among others.
To start with, lack of or inadequate access to food and water is one of the characteristics of poverty, and it makes people end up deducing means of survival, for instance; skipping meals, taking food and water in much smaller quantities, eating unbalanced diets, among others.
This condition often leads to health related problems, malnutrition, and even deaths. Lack of access to health facilities by sick people or expectant mothers could lead to fatalities, which could have otherwise been prevented. Most expectant women especially in poverty-stricken areas deliver at home due to inaccessibility and unaffordability of health services, and this often leads to deaths.
In addition, living in shanties and inhabitable conditions cannot be a choice to anyone; rather, it’s a forced state of poverty. This more often than not, results to exposure to diseases, and harsh weather conditions. Poverty also directly leads to lack of or inadequate education, which ultimately leads to ignorance, a setback that is so expensive to alleviate.
Indulging in crime has more often than not been related to poverty. It is common to find a thief insinuating to have stolen because of lack of basic needs. Some crimes end up causing unintentional deaths, for instance, a thief might strangle someone who is in possession of what they desire. Others still, take to extreme measures such as committing suicide when they can no longer cope with their status!
Benefits of Poverty
There are also some good sides of poverty. Maybe someone would ask, what good thing could really come out poverty? For one, it’s common to poor people to develop good interpersonal relations amongst themselves. These are virtues that could be said are a direct result of their poor state because they cannot survive independently.
People living in poverty develop a culture of borrowing, which forces them to be humble, courteous and easily mingle; values that are atypical within the rich people’s circles. Even if developed because of their poverty status, they add up to the good values that are much needed in a society. Although a bit selfish, if everyone in the society was to be rich, then very important links would be cut.
For instance, there would be no casual labourers, no cleaners, no charity homes, and limited social interactions. It is also perceived nature that poverty makes people work hard in the various sectors, seeking to improve their lifestyles. It’s often found that poor people work the hardest in school, work places and even in sports and music industry, because they don’t have what they desire in life.