Poverty Changes the Way We See the World.

When poverty is experienced, especially in childhood, our brains show physically observable signs of negative developmental differences (Luby, Constantino, & Barch, 2022). Poverty is not only a lack of money or capital with which to move about the world. Poverty is also all of the resulting consequences of uneven distributions of wealth and structures of power, which uphold generational cycles of forced low and no-income living.

Poverty is also all of the

resulting consequences of

uneven distributions of

wealth and structures of

power, which uphold

generational cycles of

forced low and no-income

living.

- Saint Taylor

What does this mean?

Poverty Might Manifest As:

• Children living in their parent/guardians’ home well into young and middle adulthood, even in cultures that do not promote intergenerational adult living.

• Increased homeless and hungry populations, especially in major cities/metropolitan areas.

• Children wearing the same outfits to school each day/week/season/year.

• Parents/Guardians who do not attend their children’s recreational activities/events.

• Grandparents/extended family who only seem to come around at specific times of year/in times of need.

• Disconnection from/delays in interacting with modern technology, news, public health events, data, and general information.

• And more…

What Actually Drives These Experiences of Poverty:

• Increased social and workplace demand for higher education attainment (beyond trade training, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, or life and workplace experience) WITHOUT an increase in financial support, aid, or repayment options that do not force or encourage poverty post-graduation/training.

• Staggering instances of food desserts, both on Native American Land, and abroad, force people into communities with: more resources, greater instances to build community, and an increased chance to remain safe/alive while homeless. Homeless and hungry populations are also increasing, with billions already living without adequate housing (Filipenco, 2025).

• Families being forced to prioritize time at work over time traveling to the laundromat that is already too expensive, or having to prioritize buying food and maintaining shelter over updating wardrobes regularly.

• Parents/Guardians being forced to pick up shifts, take on multiple jobs, or work overtime (with or without pay) to keep a current job, and continue providing necessities to their children.

• Individuals and Families having to make difficult decisions about where to go for help when unexpected financial crises arise (often deciding between a bank or familial financial support), or when government-based assistance (especially under the ‘U.S. Government’) is not enough/available.

• The under-resourcing of and re-direction of funding from physical harbors of information (like libraries), to technological advancement and increasingly inaccessible internet access, device manufacturing, and sales.

• And more…

Combating Poverty is a Communal and Societal Mission.

In many countries, worldwide, the instances of poverty that we observe and measure can be tied directly back to the oppression of people under discriminatory societal and governmental structures. We must reject the ‘evil twin’ who encourages us to accept individual or generational patterns as failures of self-doing (Alcañiz‑Colomer, Moya, & Valor‑Segura, 2022), rather than the result of intentional social and systemic oppression. Productivity under capitalism, oppression, or force, should not be a precursor to basic survival.

Productivity Under

Capitalism, Oppression, or

Force Should Not Be a

Precursor to Basic

Survival.

- Saint Taylor

Thought Exercise:

• Where might you be allowing poverty’s ‘evil twin’ (the belief that poverty is a personal failure or can be individually overcome) get in the way of your calling out or rejecting the systems that actually reinforce poverty?

• How can you discourage the institution and continued growth of poverty within your own communities? Through the language you use, actions you take, individuals you interact with?

  If you find yourself ready to explore more questions like these, or to otherwise create a space dedicated to offering values-aligned support, email me to schedule a FREE life and liberation coaching session today: [email protected]!