which is More Difficult to HIDE, Extreme WEALTH or Extreme POVERTY?

Since everyone has answered poverty. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say wealth. The reason I say this is because money changes you. You just cant help it no matter how hard you try. The temptation to buy fancy things and to spend and to go on expensive trips is just too overwhelming. People close to you can tell that money is no object to you. Because you start to treat people like their below you. I have seen it in my business many times. I have worked for many rich people from Beverly Hills and for people in the entertainment business. (Actors and Producers) Now to keep this fact from strangers is pretty easy however keeping it from people close to you is an entirely different situation. Bottom line is. If your extremely wealthy good luck concealing it.

No, we need to educate in order to stop poverty. A great book to read about this is "How to Change the World" by David Bornstein. I have lived in the poorest areas of the world, I watched one young man many years ago create a center in Peru, that started with only 14 to 20 children who were shoe shine boys and newspaper kids on the street. Twenty years later that whole city has changed because this young man created a program that one child at a time, then more and more and by creating a program to educate and get these families involved change the complete social economic statue of a community. Just as the Gates Foundation and other millionaires have found out, you can't just give money away to make change, you need to educate so that people have the opportunity to make choices so that change can occur. I once said to someone I wonder what that man is thinking sitting in that field, and the person who worked in that area answered, he isn't thinking for he has never been educated into wanting to think. So I entered the field and asked the man "What are you thinking, and he answered what is thinking..." I was shocked. But it's a true story, that is when I realized poverty needs to be educated. When someone doesn't know that by buying bones to make a broth gives you no nutrition, but the same cost of those bones you could buy beans and have a broth and protein and is a better choice, comes from knowledge and education. Boiling water so that you wash a cut so it doesn't get infected comes from knowledge and from living in a educated society, some people have no idea of even this simple idea as a reality. If you really care about this topic I would say read the book I mentioned. Now with the internet and the world becoming global I just picked up but have not yet read The Long Tail about living in a global society. It's all again about being educated, for without some education we couldn't even be having this discussion or know how to use the internet. Remember alot of places in the world still do not even have electricity, running water, or toilets and a sewer system. They don't even know the words or the concept of living like some of us do. Again education creates change, but poverty is the cause of a few rich wanting to retain power, and with ignorance of the masses the rich stay rich, education of all makes a more level playing field. There will always be people of extreme wealth, that is something that has existed throughout humanity in one form or another. It is how the rest are able to live. Look at the USSR, everyone was given a equal education, however even under that form of government there were the top people who lived in wealth. But in time through education the masses realized that they wanted a different way of life. Now many have nothing, but through education they chose freedom of choice over security of financial wealth. Within a short period of time, people became homeless, and crime became rampant in many areas. So there is no utopia, but education will bring about choice of the way an individual lives.

Back then when I was Young, about 10 years old, we used to have a neighbor that to all accounts everyone thought he was very poor, he always had on the same clothes, and people would feel sorry for him, and would feed him and help him in buying him clothes to wear. One day when no one had seen him for three days, they went knocking on his door and when there was no reply, they forced open the front door, he was Dead, on the floor, which the Doctor said was a fatal heart attack. When neighbors started looking for some clues going into his personal belongings, they found a chest full of money, coins, Hundred Dollar bills, and everywhere they looked Money was what they found. So, I would think that the most difficult of Wealth, or Poverty to hide, is Poverty. I am a witness to it.

Poverty not because it is a matter to be hidden but because this world had to face some of those situations! Take Hurricane Katrina for an example; USA...wow such a great Nation (!) *Cough*Cough* and one blow from nature and the other side to it was uncovered!! A generation was disappearing while a nation simply stared!! They did brag a lot about their Power, money, army and everything else but when it came to this...all were quiet! May I ask WHY?

OK...sorry I know I'm way off the point of your question but I just realised and I think that my point should be passed on; so I'm very sorry again!

BTW as I've typed this much already, if you want to get my point through a deeper voice then you could listen to Linkin Park's song: 'The Little Things Give you away' from the album Minutes To Midnight! If you are going to listen to it; listen to it with your mind open and soul clear!! They wrote it for the people who suffered during the Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans!!! :-)

Thank you Enki and sorry I didn't read the question properly!

(I'll be more careful next time promise!!) :-)

Extreme wealth because pride of spiritualy wealth shines through. The riches man in the world could be living the most extreme poverty.

I believe that extreme wealth would be difficult for most to hide, as they are all loving the material things which money can supply. Although they do tend to be the most unloving people I have ever known, and most judgemental as well.

I grew up in extreme poverty, and it is very difficult to hide, as you are never able to find a comfortable medium. You do not fit in anywhere in a society that equates wealth with likeability and self worth.

I believe that the impoverished find more strength and are more worthy than those who would not find it in their hearts to help them. But they do not need the help as it builds character that money could never buy.

This is a most powerful question...

I would have to say that the extreme in wealth do a disservice to mankind by hoarding their wealth, and overlooking the extreme poverty.

Blessings and love,

Sassy

If you mean materially--I would say Extreme poverty would be harder==as they could not hide things like health, food, shelter.

If you mean spiritually--than that is easier the one who has extreme wealth --it would show in their attitude.

On materially

Some wealthy people seem to be happy, while others are miserable (example. Princess Di).

The same is true of those who are poor (example. Mother Theresa and (Florance Nightingale who gave up her vast materiality life for something she saw as being richer). Still, most people—even those who are already wealthy—believe that more money will bring them greater happiness.

On Spiritually-Not materially -yet led a" rich full life" and well noted for their acts.-no doubt about it Mother T and F Nightingale win out. And they couldn't hide it--it showed .

i would say extreme poverty is harder to hide because you cant buy things to hide it. i mean if u are a good story teller u could say ur doing a documentary or something about how the poor live, but that would fall out sooner or later. i think with extreme wealth u can always just invest most of it in something small and live an average life in an ordinary community. no one would have to know.

Extreme poverty

Poverty, clearly. A rich person doesn't have to be ostentatious and flaunt their wealth. I am friends with an extremely wealthy family who you would never know is exceedingly well-off. They live in a modest home, drive around in an old Volvo, and wear decently priced clothing, like L.L. Bean. Poverty on the other hand can not be hidden. When you're rich you can purchase a middle class home, but you can't when you're living in poverty. When you're rich you can drive simple cars, but you can't even own a car when you're living in poverty. When you're rich you can still wear modestly priced apparel, but when you're living in poverty it can be hard to GET clothing.