Young People Ask . . .

What if My Family Is Poor?

THE South African shantytown he grew up in does not evoke happy memories for George. “We stayed in a typical mukhukhu dwelling​—nothing but a small tin shack with two rooms,” he recalls. He shared one of the rooms with his eight brothers and sisters. During the winter months, he would brave the winter wind in order to fetch water from the one water tap that served the whole community. “But what I hated most about growing up poor,” George says, “was watching my father work his fingers to the bone just to keep us alive. I resented that there seemed to be no way out.”

Economic hardship is a way of life in developing lands. And even affluent Western countries have shocking numbers of poor people. Perhaps you are one of them. Like George you may even feel trapped in poverty. While such feelings are understandable, they can also prompt you to react in ways that aggravate, rather than alleviate, the problems of being poor.

The Escape Trap

Alarming numbers of poor youths try to escape the pain of poverty by dulling their senses with alcohol or drugs. According to researcher Jill Swart, the street children of one southern African city “do not smoke glue solely ‘for kicks’. They use it to . . . shut out cold, loneliness and hunger.”

But how do these youths feel when they come to their senses and the trip is over? Jill Swart documented symptoms such as “intense depression,” “aggression,” “rapid mood swings,” “impaired vision,” and a host of other physical ailments that could hardly be described as a healthy “escape” from poverty.

Wise King Solomon said: “A drunkard . . . will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe one with mere rags.” (Proverbs 23:21) Trying to shut out the realities of poverty by altering one’s state of mind with alcohol, glue, or drugs will not make the problem disappear. (Compare Proverbs 31:7.) As Maria, a 16-​year-​old girl from a poor single-​parent family in South Africa, observed: “Trying to escape reality causes more problems than it solves.” Besides, the high cost of maintaining such destructive habits drives one deeper into poverty. Only when a poor youth squarely faces up to his situation can he hope to come to grips with it.

Anger and Frustration

Angry at being trapped in a poor environment, many youths act out their rage by violence, vandalism, stealing, and other forms of juvenile delinquency. The World Book Encyclopedia says that such youths see this as the “only escape from boredom, poverty, and other problems.” George, mentioned earlier, recalls that some of his peers became angry and frustrated and joined gangs that terrorized the neighborhood. He adds that “they mostly fought and stole for a living.” Yet other youths try to beat poverty by getting enmeshed in lucrative illegal activities, such as selling, or pushing, drugs.

Far from alleviating poverty, though, delinquent behavior merely makes matters worse. Energy that could have been channeled into productive activities​—such as learning a useful skill or trade—​is wasted. Rather than improving his situation, the wayward youth simply subjects himself to further physical and emotional trauma. Some youths end up spending time in jail​—or losing their lives by violence. As King Solomon warned: “The one neglecting discipline comes to poverty and dishonor.”​—Proverbs 13:18.

Helpless and Hopeless

Perhaps the most damaging marks that poverty may leave on a youth are lingering feelings of worthlessness and inferiority. For many, the sheer scale of poverty on all fronts of life has snuffed out any hope for ever improving their standard of living. The World Book Encyclopedia comments that young people often “come to acquire the same feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that their parents have developed.” Eventually, a “culture of poverty” may set in, its victims resigning themselves to a lifetime of misery.

But will wallowing in feelings of helplessness and hopelessness improve your situation? No! If anything, doing so simply perpetuates the vicious cycle of poverty. As an ancient proverb put it: “He that is watching the wind will not sow seed; and he that is looking at the clouds will not reap.” (Ecclesiastes 11:4) If a farmer focused only on negative possibilities​—the wind that could blow away his seed or the rain that could dampen his crop—​he would fail to take necessary action. Similarly, by focusing only on negative feelings, you can paralyze all efforts to improve yourself.

King Solomon thus further gave this advice: “In the morning sow your seed and until the evening do not let your hand rest; for you are not knowing where this will have success.” (Ecclesiastes 11:6) Yes, rather than being immobilized by a fear of failure or a feeling that things are hopeless, take action! There are things you can do to help you gradually replace negative feelings with positive ones.

Building Self-​Respect

Consider 11-​year-​old James. He lives with his mother and his sister in a squatter camp near Johannesburg, South Africa. Materially, they own almost nothing. Each weekend James volunteers his services to assist in building a local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Not only does this take up time that would otherwise hang heavy on his hands but it also gives him a sense of accomplishment. Says James with a broad smile: “After a day of hall building, I have this deep feeling of contentment inside!” Poor as this youth is, he still has valuable assets: time and energy.

Another productive activity is the door-​to-​door Bible education work. (Matthew 24:14) Many young Witnesses of Jehovah engage in that work on a regular basis. By doing so not only do they give others hope of a better life in the future but they increase their own feelings of self-​respect, worth, and dignity. True, one makes no money from doing such work. But recall the message Jesus gave to Christians in the ancient congregation of Smyrna. They were quite poor materially, but because of their deep spirituality, Jesus could say to them: “I know your tribulation and poverty​—but you are rich.” Ultimately, because of their actively exercising faith in Jesus’ shed blood, they would become supremely rich, receiving the crown of everlasting life.​—Revelation 2:9, 10.

Growing up poor is not easy. There is no reason, however, to feel ashamed, helpless, or hopeless about your situation. Poverty exists because “man has dominated man to his injury.” (Ecclesiastes 8:9) The evidence shows that God will soon take over the management of earth’s affairs and eliminate poverty and its devastating effects. (Psalm 37:9-11) His Son, Christ Jesus, will usher billions of mankind into the earthly Paradise, just as he promised to the bereft evildoer who expressed faith in him as they were dying on execution stakes. (Luke 23:43) In the meantime, though, there is much you can do in a practical way to cope with poverty. This will be discussed in a future issue.

[Box on page 20]

“I Felt Trapped by Poverty”

George was an African youth who desperately wanted to stay in school and finish his basic education. He reasoned that by doing so he could find a well-​paying job that would get him and his family out of poverty. However, things did not work out that way. His family fell into such dire financial straits that after just six years of schooling, George felt obliged to quit school and find work. He eventually found a job crating at a bottling plant, earning only 14 rands per week ($5, U.S.). His entire wage went toward the upkeep of his family.

“Although I felt trapped by poverty,” says George, “I realized that joining a gang or stealing for a living would not help at all. Today, many of those from my age group who did those things are either hopeless dropouts, slaves to drink and drugs, or in jail. Some were even killed as a result of their life-​style.”

Then George came in contact with Jehovah’s Witnesses. “One of the first things I noticed,” says George, “was that at the Christian meetings, everyone would come and talk to me respectfully.” He adds: “I gradually gained the confidence and self-​respect that I had previously lacked.” George also found much comfort in Bible texts such as Psalm 72:12, 13, which says: “For he [the Messianic King] will deliver the poor one crying for help . . . He will feel sorry for the lowly one and the poor one, and the souls of the poor ones he will save.” The Bible’s promises filled him with renewed interest and hope in life.

Looking at George today, you would never guess what a struggle it has been for him to change his feelings of helplessness and hopelessness to a positive outlook. A happily married man, he now serves as the presiding overseer in a congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Soweto, South Africa.

[Pictures on page 19]

Using your time and energy to do something worthwhile is much better than resigning yourself to feelings of hopelessness