Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Monday, June 9, 2014
Pre research on the actual matter.
Is poverty genetic? First time I came across the question was at the beginning of June in 2014. At that moment I hadn't even put much thought into it - I posted it on Facebook as a seemingly silly status update. Little did I know that the question in itself resonated quite profoundly not only with my Facebook friends, but with philosophers and scientists as well. Scientists have had it as a topic of scientific conversations for many decades. However, this blog post does not concentrate on the views I later learnt from scientific findings; but more on the beliefs I had, and on views that the society I grew in predetermined for many people I grew up with.
Perhaps the best place to start with this topic is to give my views on the question. Is poverty genetic? To answer it quite simply, yes I do believe that poverty is in most cases genetic - and No, there are exceptions to every rule; poverty is not genetic in all cases. Now, the reason the answers to the question are in a sense twofold is pretty simple; there is no right or wrong answer, despite what scientists and structures created by man kind might let you believe. For each answer, four more unfold.
For example: No, poverty is not genetic. Then if that is the case, how do you then explain 5 generations of uneducated black people living in the same shack for 5 decades, next to which is 7 acres of untouched land without either generation thinking of ploughing something or creating some means of income from it!? Bare in mind I only made reference to black people only because that is the ethnic group I fall under - and even though I know that poverty is not necessarily race affiliated, I know more about the black race than any other race.
I once again had a debate about the subject with a group of friends and one point I found quite intriguing was this one: "Poverty is not genetic, poverty is merely based on the choices we make as we grow. Thus in essence, everyone has the capability and necessary skills required on deciding whether or not we would be poor for the rest of our lives.
Well, fair enough argument I would say. However, it does seem to ignore certain aspects I will now include in mine.
If I had known any different and just wanted to shut down the topic at hand, this is what I would have said, "So, are you saying that mentally insane people have a choice on where they stand within society!?" I don't think that any one would have said anything else after that. But here is the thing, this topic is greater than that. I think it requires a more diplomatic reproach. And, here is mine:
See, the genesis of it lies not in poverty itself but in the thought process behind those who are, in laymen terms, 'poor'. And now, how do we define 'being poor'? Is it in the materials that one has or doesn't for that matter? Some believe it to be so; but I personally tend to believe it has more to do with what you think of what you have. Like the old saying goes, "If a fisherman is happier after catching 5 fishes a day than a multimillionaire in his yacht with 2 of his girlfriends, then surely the fisherman is richer than the multimillionaire." OK, maybe it's not an old saying as such - maybe I just made it up right now. But fact remains, that analogy bares some truth to it, I believe.
I guess the point I'm trying to drive at is that our brain is genetic; it controls the way we think and decide on which course to take in life, which in-turn determines whether we end up feeling happy or not with what we end up attaining in life. So in so saying, I do believe that poverty is genetic... I am about to embark on a journey of self discovery, after which my views on the matter might or might not change. Please leave a comment and say your thoughts on the writing and the subject as well. This is my first blog post after all.
I'm Ntanga Ligege.... On twitter I am @KidKulLintang... My Facebook page is Kid Kul Lintang.... I am not famous yet, but I will change the world, one letter at a time.
Perhaps the best place to start with this topic is to give my views on the question. Is poverty genetic? To answer it quite simply, yes I do believe that poverty is in most cases genetic - and No, there are exceptions to every rule; poverty is not genetic in all cases. Now, the reason the answers to the question are in a sense twofold is pretty simple; there is no right or wrong answer, despite what scientists and structures created by man kind might let you believe. For each answer, four more unfold.
For example: No, poverty is not genetic. Then if that is the case, how do you then explain 5 generations of uneducated black people living in the same shack for 5 decades, next to which is 7 acres of untouched land without either generation thinking of ploughing something or creating some means of income from it!? Bare in mind I only made reference to black people only because that is the ethnic group I fall under - and even though I know that poverty is not necessarily race affiliated, I know more about the black race than any other race.
I once again had a debate about the subject with a group of friends and one point I found quite intriguing was this one: "Poverty is not genetic, poverty is merely based on the choices we make as we grow. Thus in essence, everyone has the capability and necessary skills required on deciding whether or not we would be poor for the rest of our lives.
Well, fair enough argument I would say. However, it does seem to ignore certain aspects I will now include in mine.
If I had known any different and just wanted to shut down the topic at hand, this is what I would have said, "So, are you saying that mentally insane people have a choice on where they stand within society!?" I don't think that any one would have said anything else after that. But here is the thing, this topic is greater than that. I think it requires a more diplomatic reproach. And, here is mine:
See, the genesis of it lies not in poverty itself but in the thought process behind those who are, in laymen terms, 'poor'. And now, how do we define 'being poor'? Is it in the materials that one has or doesn't for that matter? Some believe it to be so; but I personally tend to believe it has more to do with what you think of what you have. Like the old saying goes, "If a fisherman is happier after catching 5 fishes a day than a multimillionaire in his yacht with 2 of his girlfriends, then surely the fisherman is richer than the multimillionaire." OK, maybe it's not an old saying as such - maybe I just made it up right now. But fact remains, that analogy bares some truth to it, I believe.
I guess the point I'm trying to drive at is that our brain is genetic; it controls the way we think and decide on which course to take in life, which in-turn determines whether we end up feeling happy or not with what we end up attaining in life. So in so saying, I do believe that poverty is genetic... I am about to embark on a journey of self discovery, after which my views on the matter might or might not change. Please leave a comment and say your thoughts on the writing and the subject as well. This is my first blog post after all.
I'm Ntanga Ligege.... On twitter I am @KidKulLintang... My Facebook page is Kid Kul Lintang.... I am not famous yet, but I will change the world, one letter at a time.
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