Poverty

I tried to escape poverty all of my life. I wasn’t born into it, rather fallen into her constricting embrace by misfortune, as a consequence to a series of events that saw my family’s doom. The shock of being suddenly unable to conduct life as before was the hardest thing I ever had to face. It hit me with the typical cruelty with which destitution snatches people away from others, depriving it not only of choice, freedom and wellbeing, but chances too.

During my teenage years peers would go on fancy holidays; all I dreamt of was to be able to purchase school books, which neither mother or father had money to spend for. To study became a luxury we couldn’t afford anymore, grooming and new clothes vane things, holidays just a hope. “Maybe next year we’ll manage” – mother would say with a sad smile, giving away her disappointment at not earning enough to grant us some quality time, worries free.

The most horrible thing about poverty is that poor people feel ashame of their condition, although I never did because poverty is not a choice. I was enraged instead, against a government which created that responsible for the destitution of so many, mine included. People better off often brush away with  appalling condescension the harshness of poverty. They choose to tell themselves that poor people can only be economic migrants, or the refugees from distant countries at wars; not fellow citizens born in developed countries. They deny reality because the implication of acknowledging it would require them to take action to amend the state of things, and they have no intention to worry themselves with the welfare of others, exception made for when social interaction requires to portray an image of decency very few possess.

What many call progress is nothing but exploitation of a large number of human beings in favour of a smaller group. We see the proof of this in the current, global state of affairs and especially across Europe: how many can afford holidays, a proper education, medical care, to buy a house, a car, to put anything they wish on their tables anymore? Not the majority of us.

Media used against us by an elite growing increasingly and shockingly more and more ruthless, to propagate false dogmas teaching us that if we work hard we can be whatever we wish to be, have everything we want to have, enjoy life to the full more than ever before. A lie perpetuated to the point that nowadays youngsters aspire to become football players, TV celebrities, fashion models – as if anyone truly could achieve that status – instead of scientists, matematicians, doctors. Yes, some kids understand better than others that delusions won’t help them gain a thing in life, and talent is scarcer than one might believe, in a world overly populated. But how many? Media lie to lure us into delusion, selling utopian possibilities and pushing us into wasting time pursuing them, living beyond our means, dreaming beyond our abilities and refusing to accept reality.

There is a need for sobriety in our society, to address the shameful lack of principles and inequality that govern our communities, created by few under the pretence to which capitalism has tied us to: if you work hard, you have ways to build a decent life. It is not true. There is a desperate need to readdress the state of delusion into which we have been tricked, a need for all of us to face reality and do something about what’s wrong.

Truth is that the elite has taken us hostages: via media they indoctrinate us on what to dream of, what to eat, what to believe, who to vote, whilst all along they grow us into gullible ignorant, easy to manipulate and exploit. Not a day goes by without lies and speculations being published and broadcasted to support agendas aiming at nothing but benefiting the elite.

Governments on the other side have openly sold us to banks, since decades: there isn’t one which is not privately owned and yet we are told we owe them what’s called “public” debt. How did we accrue it? I don’t think many wonder about it, or else they’d be far angrier and distrustful than they are. Truth is that elite and politicians leading by example, an army of conners and leeches is at work, daily, to find new ways to prey on our vast naivety and foolishness, to suck us dry whilst living in privilege: how can people believe that factual truth comes via tabloids, TV or politicians’ mouth? How can anyone, in these days and economic climate, believe anything they claim and still trust they have at heart and will do our best interests? I, by definition, am not a socialist; but neither I can condone the state of things and justify those who created it.

Poverty is what made us dependant on governments, a poverty those in power have created to control and abuse us for their benefit. Social support reduced to sums which do not allow people to take proper care of themselves: it appears that all a poor need to live a life worth of such definition is just food. Never mind if your hair has overgrown, your teeth need care, you might need a specialist care. Destitution affects the poorer on levels far below the line of acceptancy and decency. It kills one’s pride, for it deprives of equal opportunities and worsen not only health and mind, but look and the way in which one can carry himself amongst others.

Try go out with worn out shoes, ungroomed hair, cheap clothes and you’ll soon enough figure what being poor implies: stares and prejudice. Imagine being in need of a dental scaling, refused to you on the basis that it is not priority, the government cannot pay for your teeth health; and yet you need them healthy to survive. Ever been unemployed, ever had to go through the demeaning interrogation and privacy intrusion of a job centre, where officers weight your worth as a human being by scanning your figure up an down? If not, you yet fall into the category of those still better off and most likely won’t be able to see how degrading it is to belong to that of the poor.

The world nowadays is divided in two categories: those who walk on others and those crashed under them. Prejudice and discrimination dictating dos and donts: well paid jobs to graduated, hard labour for the undergraduated. And yes, we all know that some made it; but how many in comparison with the mass in struggle? Too few is the answer. Too few to justify the exploitation of millions.

I experienced poverty, how unmerciful, ruthless and cunning those out of it can be. And I am tired of their reign, tired of their lies and ways.

This is why I am writing: to set the record straight on those things which they wish to cover up or dismiss as unimportant. Give me words – for they left me not much else – and I might avenge and save the millions alike myself.