more poverty

Saw one of the wealthiest townships I know of yesterday. It's quite picturesque really. It's easy to forget that it's not so much fun really, living there.

I saw, to my surprise, a house shack made of a Golden Harvest sign! That's called being resourceful... It was quite a pretty shack. Not like some of the others...

Those people make me think that affirmative action is a good thing. Maybe not so much in its application, but in theory its definitely fair.

I know its racially discriminatory. But it just so happens that our social classes are divided by race (mostly anyway). Blame apartheid. Or blame that for apartheid. Wait no, blame someone else.

Anyway, the point is, race is connected to riches in this country. It's just how it is.

It's just ridiculous to the poor to get an education on par with the rich. They don't have the facilities, and their communty doesn't have the education. Even if one should be super motivated to get a tertiary education, how would he do that? He doesn't have the funds, and not everyone gets bursaries. Even secondary education is few and far between.  Never mind all that. Come to think of it,** even basic literacy is scarce.

So a qualification cannot be the only ruler. Backround has to be taken in account. It's much easier to judge a person based on their skin colour than to research their family history.***

* There are many exceptions to this rule.

** Yes, that's why I blog. To think.

*** Not that I'm at all for 'the easy way out'.

poverty and riches

As Jesus looked at him, he felt love for him and said, "You lack one thing. Go, sell whatever you have and give to the poor[...  ]" 22 But at this statement, the man looked sad and went away sorrowful, for he was very rich.
23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard is it for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out Luke 12:33

Why are we so rich? I'm not challenging or judging anyone. It's just a question. Should we be enjoying our money so much?

us and them

It's ridiculous. Really, it is.

According to the SARPN (South African Regional Poverty Network), there are more than 25 people living below the poverty line. 57% of the population has been declared 'poor'.

This is one of the pretty slums - in the Western Cape (which is one of the 'richest' provinces in the country).

The people in the above situations often have no clean water, no sewage systems, lack of food and lack of space. The houses are miniscule, but they aren't bachelor flats. Large, often parentless, families live in these matchbox shacks, cramped together for lack of choice.

And where do the rest of us stand?

We, the affluent, stay in our spacious, comforatable, air-conditioned houses and put them out of our minds. We can go to restaurants and convenience stores and the movies and for some, the word budget is unheard of.

How many match-box houses can fit inside the average middle-class yard?

If every reasonably (and unreasonably) wealthy person were to give half their possesions in aid of what we call the poor, the world would be a better place.

That's probably the idea behind communism and socialism. (The reason it didn't work is because another idea behind it was power and control of the masses).

Did the King not have something to say on this matter?

⁸For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me."

⁴⁰And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,^[a] you did it to me.'

It would seem we have an obligation here, people. How on earth do we do it? Who do we help?

Some say we need only help those who cross our paths. If your path is restricted to suburbia, who will cross it?

Oh, what to do. What to do?