In my opinion, which may not be humble, there are three main causes of poverty: Pride, Greed, and Stupidity. Let's face it. People, with their free will, will do anything and everything to better their peers. That's where pride comes in. People prey on the stupidity of other people to satisfy their greed. Stupid people bite because of, yes, pride and greed. The cycle is vicious. Colorful posters of a product proclaiming godhood and coolness lure people with their stupidity into believing it would, even if the cost is too much. How do you even put a price on godhood and coolness, anyway? Those statuses are bestowed, not bought. For third-world countries, though, it's a little bit different. Bucketfuls of stupidity splash all over the community every second. Have you ever visited a depressed area, an area wherein a family of seven resides in a house probably smaller than an average toilet? There's a reason it's called a depressed area. It is certain that you will be depressed. People would normally ask how people can live in such inhumane conditions. One has to look at a bigger picture here. THE GOVERNMENT IS CORRUPT Very seldom have I seen a politician do anything without expecting everything in return. And no, that statement is written as it should be. Politicians DO expect everything in return for their actions. Come to think of it, I have NEVER seen a politician not expecting anything in return. When the government is corrupt, there are a number of possible outcomes. One that comes to mind is that nothing gets done. If in case something gets done, it's not done right. If it WAS done right, it was done after a number of tries. If it was done right the first time, it cost too much. Either way, the taxpayers foot the bill, if taxpayers did pay their ever-increasing taxes. Taxpayers, losing confidence in the government, would try to cheat, if not avoid, paying taxes. Taxes are like war. It's good for absolutely nothing. For the Philippines, anyway. Emphasis on like. If the government loses revenue, it would either increase taxes, or postpone, or worse, cancel, projects that probably cost more than it should. Those who are living below the poverty line are exempt from tax, of course. And if everybody is unemployed, there would be no taxes to pay. The government bears the obligation of providing employment to its citizens. If the people is unemployed, there would be no taxes to collect. Would there still be a government? That would be for a different entry. One can't help segue and digress into the political aspects of this global phenomenon/epidemic. THE PLAZA OF TRUTH In this plaza, you see two different people on both ends of the financial spectrum. One is contented to see their son's eyes sparkle in wonder and amazement upon seeing the glorious fountain in the middle of the plaza. The other is taking a sip of coffee while sitting just outside a coffee shop in the plaza, thinking how much he overpaid for it. One earns a minimum wage for a living. The other owns the company, among other companies, where the other man works. In a society that quantifies success not by your skill or personality, but by the number of digits on your paycheck and how close they are to infinity, a person earning a minimum wage is sneered upon. But here's the thing: they get by. Minimum wage earners survive their day-to-day crisis. White-collar executives cringe at least once a month, and that is when they receive their bills for credit cards, utilities, etc. Their disposition is totally different. Education plays a big part in this whole poverty thing. People are conditioned to think that what we do then is what we should be doing today and for an eternity. Curriculums focus on what is new with regards to technology and science but emphasis is put on religion and how people should do things according to a divine being. I wonder when budget management be a prerequisite in all courses. There are ways to enjoy life. The key to enjoying life is having a lifestyle that one can afford. This is where stupidity comes in. People become poor because they change their lifestyle. They change their lifestyle because they THINK they are earning more after being promoted. What they don't realize is that the more you earn, the more the government takes from that hard-earned paycheck. With a promotion comes a reasoning that one can afford more expensive things. This is illogical. A more logical thought is that the higher the paycheck, the higher the taxes will be. Did you really earn more? Yes and no. YES, you earned more money, but NO, it is not enough to compensate for the additional responsibilities the new position entails. Also, a lifestyle change comes with additional costs. This further eats up the all-glorious, hard-earned paycheck. What does it leave you with? It leaves a trail of receipts for things you wouldn't be using to help pay your bills. It's a downward spiral to poverty, and a long and painful death. POVERTY EXISTS Poverty is not created by the number of your offspring, nor is it created by a recession or "bad" economy. Procreation is natural, but having no means to support what you created is not. And resources are scarce. The economy has always been good AND bad. It's just a matter of when and where it is good or bad. It's about greed. It's about apathy. It's about not caring if you hurt anyone. It's about not caring if you get hurt. It's about not caring at all. I'm officially blaming the capitalists, and the society of consumerism it created. Status Quo should not matter. But it does. And that is the painful truth. You think you have it bad? More than a billion people won't be reading this because they haven't even heard of the Internet. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. NOW. Make a lifestyle check. Do an inventory of all your stuff and sell everything you classify as "NOT NEEDED." And you have to be strict about it. This would hopefully help you payoff your credit card. Also, "NOT NEEDED" is something that needs maintenance but doesn't give anything back to you. No, your husband or wife doesn't count, even if they're good for nothing. Set goals and have an ambition to get it. And make them all short-term. Short-term, in my dictionary, is less than 5 years. Being able to attain your goal in more than 5 years is not an accomplishment. It's an indicator that you are doing something wrong. If keeping a journal would help you retrace your steps and find out where you went wrong, by all means, keep one. And make sure you don't make the same mistakes twice. That's why you're keeping a journal. Stop making excuses. Being stupid is not an excuse. Being illiterate is not an excuse. Being lazy is not an excuse. In fact, there are no excuses. Life has always been unfair. Deal with it. As Mark Twain would say: "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." Always ask why not. Never ask why. If, however, someone asks why, the answer is simply because you can. And legally. No one is to blame but yourself. You made the decisions. You own the responsibility. It is your fault you are stuck in a rut. It is your choice if you want to stay in that rut, or find a new rut to get stuck with. Either way, the blame is still on you. Not your parents who smothered or maltreated you. Much better if they left you. That way, there are no preconceptions, no prejudice, and no hate. One day, my son will read this and blame me for all the things that happened to him. If you're reading this, I love you, but get over it. Because I can. Just like Ryan Sohmer.