The 2017 Shari Prestemon Social Justice Interns have graciously agreed to share their experiences with all of us. From time to time, we’ll be posting ‘journal entries’ from Naiomi Gonzalez and Katy Morton. Below is one of these entries.
Isolation and Alienation: The Societal Aspects of Poverty.
I dreamed I was missing
You were so scared
But no one would listen
Cause no one else cared
After my dreaming
I woke with this fear
What am I leaving
When I’m done here?
So, if you’re asking me, I want you to know
When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I’ve done
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed
And don’t resent me
And when you’re feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest
Leave out all the rest…
Linkin Park, “Leave out all the Rest.”
The political and individual factors that contribute to poverty and homelessness are often well discussed. Another aspect that is rarely addressed is the societal aspects of poverty and homelessness. There are many good things about the individualistic society in which we live in. For example, the emphasis on individual human rights means that at least on a theoretical level, the humanity of black and brown people, LGBTQ+ people, women, the disabled, etc., is acknowledged. In many ways this is just a lofty ideal but the notion of individual worth supports the belief that society should care not only about the majority or those in power, but also about those who are marginalized. In other words, the rights of individuals who aren’t powerful or the most popular are thought to be just as worthy of protection as those of the powerful and privileged. Additionally, an individualistic society can also encourage independent thinking and a bucking against the status quo spirit.
But with the positives, there are also negative aspects to this emphasis on the individual. These negatives center on the fact that the importance of community is often deemphasized and the idea that individuals should be able to succeed on their own is presented as an easily attainable goal that we should all strive for. The myth of the ‘self-made’ person continues to capture the imagination of American society. We idolize people we view as being successful and we believe that somehow they became successful by their own intelligence and strength. Ignoring the fact that yes, while individual talent and intelligence are important, we are each shaped by those around us.
This value on individual strength and intelligence and the downplaying of community has a particularly negative impact on the poor and the homeless. Poverty and homelessness often creates a vicious cycle of isolation and estrangement. Sure, there are times when poverty means a reliance on others in the community. An of quoted cliché I often hear from well-meaning middle class folks is that “the poor are so much more community minded than we are…” In some cases that might be true, but that ignores the massive amount of stress that poverty and/or homelessness places on a family or a community. Combine poverty with addiction and mental illness and instead of bringing families together, they are often torn apart. And this of course, is devastating in any circumstances, but more so when as a society the belief in individualism means that there are very little systematic safety nets in place for the poor and the homeless.
To be sure, there are some individuals who want to be homeless and who don’t really thrive on human connection. I believe that there should still be support systems in place for that group. But many homeless people and those struggling with poverty don’t want to be isolated from others and from society.
The Linkin Park Song I quote from in the beginning of this post touches on feelings of alienation and fear. Alienation from others, except for the anonymous ‘you’ the song references, and fear that one’s life is meaningless. It also touches on the fact that our lives are made meaningful by our connections to other people. Our value is not based on race or gender, not on our sexual orientation, not on our economic status. We need one another. And this isn’t a one sided relationship; I’m not saying that those who struggle with poverty and/or homelessness need the rest of us and they offer little or nothing in return. That again is based on tying a person’s value with what they can offer-often in terms of economic output-to society. As a Christian, this is a gross distortion of the value of a human life. As humans we are interconnected and we need one another. The hyper focus on individualism, which in some cases is a good thing, also causes us to forget that humans can’t survive as isolated beings. We rely on one another for material needs yes but also for the intangible things that often make life worth living-love, trust, friendship, companionship.
It is tempting, in a society where the so called ‘self-made” person is essentially worshipped, to view those that we deem to be unsuccessful as not being a part of society. We want to isolate those who are poor, who struggle with addiction, with mentally illness. We try to render them invisible. And that isolation, just like the numerous political, systematic, and individual factors that contribute to poverty and homelessness, makes it that much harder for the homeless and the poor to find some sort stability in their lives. I think as a society we need to keep some of the best aspects of individualism, focus on individual rights and independent thought and combine them with a concern for the larger community. This means ensuring that those struggling with addiction, poverty, mental illness are recognized as valued members of society.
If we were honest with ourselves, many of us are just one bad mistake or catastrophe from poverty. As someone who struggles with mental illness, whose relationship with my family is strained, I know that I am one bad episode with depression away from poverty and/or homelessness. I know I have friends, but friends who would be able to care for me during a particularly bad episode of depression? Probably not. This is why I believe that caring for the poor and homeless is not just about the efforts of individual organizations and people, but about society.
