| d21lewis said: I'm black. I was a cop. I make a great living now (after quitting that job). My mom and dad are poor. They've never been in any type of trouble. They're still married. Both worked nonstop up until they were in a car accident in about 2013. They weren't afforded the opportunities that a lot of Americans had. They went to segregated schools as kids and grew up in a time where there was REAL oppression. I'm 40 years old. I haven't been unemployed for a week since I was 18. At one point, I worked two full time jobs (two different police agencies) just to make enough money to pay my bills late and I only have one kid. If it weren't for the doors that opened because I was a cop, I'd still be living in almost poverty. It's very possible to make good financial decisions, stay out of trouble, work hard your whole life, and still be poor. There's other factors like location and opportunity to consider. I can't just look at other people and say "Just do what I did!" because the opportunities that I had were in extremely short supply. I'm lucky and I thank God everyday for basically winning the lottery. |
I'm glad you found success. But working hard and working smart are two different things. You can work very hard at minimum wage but you wouldn't be working smart because you would be much more capable than that minimum wage job. But honestly, good for you, and yes there are other factors.
My point is towards those who think being poor isn't a choice. Of course there is going to be cases where people do really nice things in life and still end up poor. I did not offer my arguement as an absolute. These first world countries are too full of opportunity to suggest that being poor isn't a choice. We all have our standards of awareness of certain facts and it is up to an individual to allow their awareness to cast a net on their interests in life. From here an individual (should) progress towards the interest, with not just hard work but also dedication and free will; without giving up. 85% of Americans go to jobs they are unhappy with, who wish they could just let it all go, but they are too afraid that letting go will be worse than their current situation.
I have seen and heard of too many cases of people handicapped from the beginning of their life, being told they couldn't do something, that are so misguided, only to become incredibly successful themselves because they grew themselves in the direction of their interests. I could go on with the whole "If they can do it, so can you" speel but we all know why they made it, because they did what they wanted to do.
Just answer me this one question: How can someone (in any walk of life/country), who is disabled in many ways, outclass someone much more capable than them? Americans and Canadians...it's almost as if too many of us are too comfortable with living a life that doesn't reflect our capacities.
