Poor & Indigent
April 13, 2009
I conduct workshops around the country that attempt to bring understanding to the plight of homeless, addicted, imprisoned mentally ill and poor individuals of our society. The individuals listed in one or more of these categories in today’s society have it extremely rough. They are called indigent – which means “a level of poverty in which real hardship and deprivation are suffered and the comforts of life are wholly lacking.”
Poverty is defined as “the extent to which one does without resources”. Primary resources include: Financial, Emotional, Mental, Spiritual, Physical, Support Systems, Relationships/ Role Models and Knowledge of Hidden Rules.
There are two types of poverty, generational poverty and situational poverty. While similar, they have very different beginnings and often outcomes. While presenting a workshop on understanding poverty at the City Gospel Mission, I was presented with the question, “What about the poor in spirit?” I have another blogg about the “poor in spirit” that you can read.
The literal poor have very limited resources where as the “poor of spirit” who are not in poverty economically have at their disposal many more resources even if they abuse or don’t use them. The “poor of spirit” are not systematically marginalized nor oppressed by the larger society. The “poor of spirit” are not cloistered into one class system.
God cares for the lost and hurting regardless of class or status, but in the workshop “Consider the Poor” we learn to become more knowledgeable of the culture and issues that are important to the poor prior to attempting to ‘save’ them from their plight. Some individuals want a better way of life but are very content with living in urban or rural America. So I am not advocating that the poor must automatically desire or transition to middle class communities. We should be creating communities with all socioeconomic classes living harmoniously together. What do you think?
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