Is Poverty A State of Mind?

Photo source: CNN

Though largely an apolitical person, I read the following in my Facebook news-feed this morning which I thought warranted some comment.

Apparently Dr. Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon and the Trump appointed HUD secretary, recently said that poverty is largely "a state of mind." While I'm an adherent of the spiritual philosophy known as New Thought, whose central premise is that our habitual thoughts, emotions, and beliefs are causative of our circumstances, in my view Dr. Carson's statement requires elaboration.

His political stances aside- most if not all I disagree with - there is much to admire about Dr. Carson's well chronicled life story of how he rose from humble beginnings to become an accomplished surgeon, which he attributed to unwavering optimism in the face of hardship. While many of us are cynical when it comes to the "power of positive thinking" there is a large body of historical, anecdotal, and scientific evidence that impassioned thought and belief play a critical role in shaping destinies, individually and collectively.

With that said, I do NOT subscribe to the judgmental spirit of victim blaming indulged in by some conservatives and libertarians, who flippantly assert that people utilizing social safety net programs are failures who have brought poverty upon themselves (as if they revel in struggling to afford staples that many of us take for granted). What makes it all the more tragic is that many of these same critics identify as members of a religion whose founder compassionately administered to the poor and downtrodden: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3)

In the course of his ministry Jesus never ONCE judged those who came to him seeking his aid. Rather than kicking them while they were down in the manner of the Pharisees, he lifted them up through the power of faith and belief in their inherent goodness, empowering them to an awareness of their unity with the "Father within" to overcome their difficulties: "Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” (Matthew 9:22)

I steadfastly believe there will come a time in our psychological and societal evolution where safety net programs will no longer be necessary, and that through use of our mental and spiritual faculties none of us shall want for any good thing. But until that time they serve a valuable purpose, and those who are forced to make use of them should be lifted up in love, not condemned.

"Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed." Psalm 82:3