Entitled.

This quote appeared on my gmail page today:

"God help those who do not help themselves."

-Wilson Mizner

I decided that I do not agree with this statement, and here’s why. I think that it implies that we can help ourselves...which I’ve decided I do not agree with for several reasons. The first being that if we believe that some help themselves and others do not, and we (naturally) believe that we are in the former category it automatically places our thoughts above those who do not wish to help themselves.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the situation of poverty lately and I think that poverty is the dependence on others to tell you what you do or do not need. So, for example, if I am walking down the street and I see a community member in need of housing who asks me for money, and I instead offer to take him or her to lunch with me, it is possible that I have just put that person in a situation of poverty.

Sure, they were in need before, but I think they enter poverty when I tell them, no, you do not need money, you need food, and I, being my benevolent self, will therefore decide that you need food and get you some food.

Now, I'm not saying that what I am doing is necessarily wrong. I mean, in all honesty, they do need food...and if they ask me for money to get something to eat and I offer to get them something to eat then it may or may not be the same thing (they may, in fact, be lying to me). But it is taking away that choice that they have when I give them money—in a way it is disempowering them to make a decision.

I also think that there is a theme of entitlement that comes into it as well. On both sides—those who are in immediate need of the basic necessities of life and those who are not.

There are community members who have and those who don't...

Generally, community members who have believe that they are entitled to what they have because they worked hard for it and community members who do not have obviously did not work hard for it, and therefore do not deserve what those who have own.

I've also met community members who do not have who think they are entitled to what those who have own because there is some system in place where they cannot achieve the same level of ownership as those who have acquired (which, in all honesty, is probably true). However, whether this is true or not--the real thing is, I'm not so sure any of us are entitled to anything, whether we worked for it or not. (I know, I know, easy for me to say…I’m unemployed…).

I’m not really sure exactly why I think this yet, but reading the Old Testament and Acts, it seems that, at least those of us who claim Christianity, should be living for the community, not for ourselves. Just think of what it would be like if Jesus acted as entitled as most citizens of the United States who also claim the name of Christianity (myself included). In my opinion, we’d all be in pretty big trouble.

Except here’s the thing: Jesus really was entitled to stay in Heaven, away from us, at the right hand of God...

I don’t really know where all of these thoughts will lead quite yet, but I think it has something to do with being open with everything...but I don't know what that looks like, really...

Some of you may think that I’m aiming at communism.

I don’t really think that’s it. Not communism in general. I think that the Christian community should resemble the basic thoughts of communism, but people aren't perfect (including Christians), and I'm not expecting the community at large to live as a communist society. But I think that if Christians started to live as if all we own belongs to the Lord it would catch on with other Christians, at least. Because it doesn't really work if you have like one family giving everything--when one person gives, there have to be others who will support them.

Though maybe if I just start giving like I am imagining, it would just start happening…

A couple of weeks ago a community member in need of food and housing asked me for some food. All I had in my bag was cookies and a couple of pennies, so I gave him what I had. He asked for more and I got irritated. It's frustrating when a community member in need doesn't accept your charity...but is it upsetting because I couldn't provide for them what they needed or because they didn't accept the charity I wanted to give them?

Because if anything else, it should not be the second.

On a lighthearted note, the next quote that came up was this:

The trouble with a kitten is that when it grows up, it’s always a cat.

-Ogden Nash

Sorry, Anna, but that one I whole-heatedly agree with.