Wealth or Poverty .............................?

‘There are vivaciously wonderful and good-hearted millionaires and mean spirited and petty poor’, but there could also be ‘vivaciously wonderful and good-hearted’ poor and ‘mean spirited and petty’ millionaires. This is what you want to say I believe, that morality is beyond any ‘situational deviance’ of a person, or of society.

This would mean that there is no correlation between people’s characters and their circumstances, and that a character, or a moral character, is either a manifest of innate goodness, or a result of proper guidance and good upbringing. The later of the premises I can understand to be true, but only under ideal situations. This is possible for some people to develop attitude of devotion and sacrifice whereby they might be able to interpret a hardship of a circumstance as a trial, or as an opportunity to further strengthen their character.

The reality of common people, as of most people, however is never as idealistic in terms of their ability to endure with patience, forbear, and feel content and grateful under all circumstance. The reality is that poverty eventually crushes human character and cause crookedness in human behaviour and attitude. What do understand poverty really is? Poverty is something that both the good and bad dread, where only the good might be able to maintain their integrity, but only so long.

We cannot deny that all people like to become wealthy, or well off at least, and lets not forget then that wealth is regarded by all as a blessing, and however testing it might be for the rich, due to their power of choice, it is them who could do something for other people, where the goodness of the poor might never go beyond their own doorsteps. This is why poverty is bad; it limits people choices of all sorts, choice to do both good and bad.

I agree that money does not relate to character, however, money is also power and with it is supposed to come responsibility. Poverty is also a social ill and a reflection of the inequitable distribution of wealth. The top 10% own the vast majority of wealth (well over 70%) and most of the people at the bottom of the pyramid do most of the work and get the least amount of money. I think morality should include a discussion about money and whether it is fairly allocated. Some people in this world are literally starving to death and that is a profoundly moral issue.

Dear Questioner.

Yes, I would agree.

It has been proclaimed before that there is no virtue in wealth.

What a silly but repeated mistake to admire people with wealth.

They are often the most shallow and insensitive people and seldom in touch with reality. I try to keep my distance of them.

Many wealthy people seem very unhappy but I know people of modest means who are content and at peace with themselves and the world.

I would not go as far as St. Francis of Assissi, who considered it shameful to be in the presence of someone poorer than himself.

But despite the absence of material wealth the world has remembered him.

Material wealth on its own cannot bring lasting happiness or make the rich man a better person. True happiness is deep within the individual and it is there that it will be found.

V interesting, i dont understand your reference to iris thuogh... yeah i think your right, except the opression caused by poverty, in the absence of any symbol of peace can maybe destructive to the soul, and cause a person to live in a way that doesent reflet thier true potential. And a person influenced by wealth withuot some gruonding, symbol, or person can also come to act in a way thats not true to thier real potatail, as they become blinded not able to see that theres any other way they can be withuot encouragement and, living in a way they become accustomed to.

But when you have a strong charector you can overcome these natural opressions, and if you do have a good personality and especialy with the peace ect you refer to, this definatly shines thruogh any situational position. Maybe many people have a much better personality than we or they think but as thay have, become acustomed to invisible restrictions by custom, they or we cannot see it- they have been challenged in a way that reveals, maybe rather than builds charector.

Living in absolute poverty (not relative poverty) is not "character building" is it depressing, horrible and not conducive to good health, longjevity or happiness. You try living on a park bench in the middle of winter, without a penny to your name and see how character building that is... even if your fellow bench mates are full of god, love, peace and good will....

I would hedge a bet that you have never been homeless or lived in terrible conditions with no money. I have and its not character builidng, it is more likely to lead to despair and suicide than enlightenment.

Get out of your ivory tower and look at the real world without your rose tinted glasses. Thinking people in poverty are happy is a way of avoiding the reality of the unfairness of life.

Just take a look at the third world, or India... where people are working 80 hours a week in a sweat shop for 5p. Ask them how character building it is!

I disagree. A man is a victim of his own circumstance. If he is living in poverty as a result of his own thoughts and actions, he has made a poor choice.

However, that is not to say that living in poverty as a result of someone else (say a war or had your parents made a poor choice) develops character. As it may, but coming out of that poverty and achieving something for yourself--that is the measure of a man's true character.

One day a rich father took his son on a trip to the country

with the firm purpose to show him how poor people

can be. They spent a day and a night on

the farm of a very poor family.

When they got back from their trip the father

asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"Very good Dad!"

"Did you see how poor people can be?"

the father asked.

"Yeah!"

"And what did you learn?"

The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden, they have a creek that has no end.We have imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon."

When the little boy was finishing,

his father was speechless.

His son added,

"Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are!"

Wealth.

friend,

All rich and affluent persons are never bad,there are very great personalities in them.

Similarly all poor and destitutes need not be DIVINE.

The poverty , generally , if properly understood and life is lived with moral values , there are chances of speedy progress in the Spiritual path, as there are less deviations.

Yes. Read "NewScientist' Cover story: Cash Crazy - Money does strange things to our mind.

It sums up this question incisively.