Break the Poverty Curse Cycle

Are you comfortable with your current circumstances? I asked this of one individual who I shall not name, as the smell of urine and smoke filled my lungs. The individual did not respond. I suppose they had a hard time responding with four kids and police sirens screaming in their ears. Personally, I do not judge individuals for how they live. I have no right to judge anyone because I do not know the adversities that have hindered them from achieving better circumstances. Besides, it’s not like I’m in a better situation myself. But, what I will do is ask you a couple of questions to make you think about the choices you have made and how you have chosen to co-exist with those choices. If it’s one thing I hate, it is to see someone judging someone else. Especially my people. My black people. You see, my people love to judge each other. Whether it’s the shoes on their feet, the hair, or the person they choose to be intimate with. It’s all a competition to my people. A competition that was started by our oppressor. Instead of judging someone, why don’t you try to help them. Show them how certain patterns can lead to certain outcomes. With this method of communication, I only can hope to give them the tools they need to overcome their adversities.

I feel as though people between the ages of 18-35, who have no goals or ambition, tend to be at risk for poverty. The time between the ages of 18-35 is when we should be building ourselves in order to sustain a comfortable living circumstances for ourselves and our children. This time is not only for partying, getting laid, or learning about the latest mixture that can give you a better high. This time should be used for learning how the world works. Not that fictional crap you see on TV, where the couple lives in a fancy apartment or house and all is good. People between the ages of 18-35 need to learn how to obtain and maintain employment or learn how to start a business in order to become a business owner. These people should also learn how to save and live within a budget. Some of us get into financial debt simply because we have failed to take action to educate ourselves about finances. Of course, being in a financial chokehold in America can lead to serious consequences. For example, bad credit, higher interest rates, not eligible for a house, or living in an underdeveloped neighborhood.

We as humans have to take it upon ourselves to better our circumstances and end the poverty curse cycle. The majority of the time, if you revisit your family history and see how your parents lived and how your grandparents lived, chances are, you will find the same repetitive financial habits. Some can be good, others bad, and few may need to be improved. Personally, I had to revisit my family’s history of financial habits. There were some things that I had to change as well. For instances, my family is known to have multiple credit cards with high balances on them. They also tend to use one credit card to pay off another credit card. While holding a credit card can be beneficial for credit purposes, having a high balance on your credit cards can actually cause your credit score to drop.

So, ask yourself, are comfortable with your living circumstances? Is there anything you can do to better yourself financially for your future and your kids’ future? Or, are you going to continue the poverty curse cycle?