Maravi

Blaming poverty on the poor's laziness

Blaming poverty on the poor's laziness
By Editor
Saturday May 24, 2008 [04:00]

It is true that some of our people are lazy and it will be very difficult to develop and reduce poverty if their attitudes towards work don’t change. But it is not true to say that most of the poor people are not hardworking. Most of our people are not poor because they are lazy; they are poor because of exploitation and as a result of the way our economic relations are arranged. We think that the highest level of political thought was reached when some men became aware that no people and no man had the right to exploit others, and that the fruits of the efforts and intelligence of each human being should reach all others; that man really had no need to be a wolf, but could be a brother to man.

No one can be at peace while others wallow in poverty and insecurity. It should never be that the anger of the poor should be the finger of accusation pointed at all of us because we failed to respond to the cries of the people for food, for shelter, for the dignity of the individual.

When you have all you want, think what it is like to be hungry, what it is to be poor. Things can change in a single day.

Of course, this is not to say we should patronise those of our people who are lazy. We should actually tell them the truth. We should frankly tell them that if they want to continue living in poverty, without clothes and food, then they should continue being lazy, not wanting to work. But if they want better things, they must work hard. Those in government and in non-governmental organisations cannot do it all for them; they must do it for themselves.

Handouts might sustain you for a few months, at the end of which your problems remain. You cannot build an economy or a society purely on the basis of handouts, of things being done for you. People have to make a contribution.

We need to exert ourselves that much, and break out of the vicious cycle imposed on us by the financially powerful; those in command of immense market power and those who dare to fashion the world in their own image.

And we shouldn’t forget that the wealth of society is created by the workers, peasants and working intellectuals. If they take their destiny into their own hands and take an active attitude in solving problems instead of evading them, there will be no difficulty in the world which they cannot overcome. The history of mankind is one of continuous development from the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom.

Our country is a gift from God and we must develop it for the good and welfare of all its people. And if our country is to move forward, honest and hard work is demanded of all of us. It is said that what a single ant brings to the anthill is very little; but what a great hill is built when one does their proper share of the work!

We can actually confidently say that true democracy itself is nothing but a growth in the confidence in the power of ordinary people to transform their country, and thus transform themselves. It is a growth in the appreciation of people organised, deciding, creating together. It is a growth in fraternal love.

It cannot be denied that there are those who seek to enjoy the benefits of economic progress without contributing anything, or setting things up so as to contribute as little as possible, to the common good. But if there is no wealth, there will be very few things to distribute.

And if you have to depend on someone else for your own food, you are not really living your own life. Yes, each one of us has a lot of problems and collectively as a nation, we have gigantic problems. But as long as you have an iron will, you can turn misfortune into advantage. There are few disadvantages in this world that you cannot turn into a personal triumph if you have the iron will and the necessary skill.

It is not fair to blame the poor and their poverty on them being lazy. We have an ethical or moral duty to defend the poor. He who betrays the poor betrays Christ. Truly, our country is too poor to give its people great material wealth, but it can give them a sense of equality, of human dignity. Let us not forget that Christ’s entire doctrine was devoted to the humble, the poor; his doctrine was devoted to fighting against abuse, injustice and the degradation of human beings.

Most Zambians find themselves in a state of poverty, the injustice of which cries to heaven for vengeance. The alienated masses in our rural and urban areas are increasing at a fast rate. And the traditional society is disappearing along with its specific culture.

The present situation in Zambia calls for some radical changes. And as Fr Pete Henriot has correctly observed, the lack of equal opportunities lies at the base of the unjust social structures in our country. Every human being of goodwill should be committed to changing a social order that is cruelly unjust because it is preventing most of our people from achieving personal fulfillment.

This poverty situation, we feel, is the product of unjust economic structures. We can understand why some of our people are blaming this poverty situation on the laziness of the poor. We are products of a society that has taught us to look coldly on the impoverished plight of our brother Zambians. But it is not enough to avoid giving scandal, we must also draw nearer to the poor, for only then will we be able to change their situation radically. Our attitudes towards the poor should be set by real love, not by the standards of a society that tends to maintain the present situation. We must love everybody, but not everyone in the same way; you love the poor by helping to get them out of poverty; you love the exploiters by stopping them from exploiting the poor. Love has to be like a classifying device to become universal.

It would be dangerous to minimise the elements of real poverty. We shouldn’t forget that the poor are also the oppressed, the humble and for the most part, the rich, the powerful are to blame for causing this evil.

Poverty in our country will not be eradicated without the collaboration of all in the framework of a solidarity which includes everyone, beginning with the most neglected. But at the same time, solidarity demands a readiness to accept the sacrifices necessary for the good of the whole community.

We wish to appeal with simplicity and humility to everyone, without exception, to take measures inspired by solidarity and love of preference for the poor. We say this because this is what is demanded by the present moment and above all by the very dignity of the human person.

Labels: MWANAWASA, NEOLIBERALISM, POVERTY

posted by MrK @ 3:28 AM