Why the Poverty: A Never-Ending Cycle
One thing that was very hard for me to understand was how there could be so much poverty in a country that has so much potential. The gap between the rich and poor is startling, just as it is in the United States. Volunteering with the Missionaries of Charity, an order immersed in helping those in poverty, I constantly asked myself the question of "Why?"
Structural Violence
A man taking a break on his rickshaw
Why poverty? Although there are countless reasons as to why poverty may inflict pain and suffering upon many around the world, one main reason that contributes to poverty in India is the social injustice described as structural violence.
Structural violence can be defined as a "terminological attempt to move beyond the commonsense understanding of violence as the individual use of bodily force." The social issues encyclopedia I referenced for this definition then goes on to explain that "the word 'structural' in this context calls attention to the violence that inheres in some social norms, roles, and patterns, as well as to the persistence and durability of those patterns."
The important thing to remember is that structural violence can originate out of many places such as cultural, historical, political, economical. Paul Farmer, a renowned anthropologist and doctor who has done extensive work in both Haiti and Russia, has spent considerable time analyzing why suffering exists and how to redefine this suffering. In his book Pathologies of Power, he raises the question, "by what mechanisms do social forces... become embodied as individual experience?"
Structural violence can be defined as a "terminological attempt to move beyond the commonsense understanding of violence as the individual use of bodily force." The social issues encyclopedia I referenced for this definition then goes on to explain that "the word 'structural' in this context calls attention to the violence that inheres in some social norms, roles, and patterns, as well as to the persistence and durability of those patterns."
The important thing to remember is that structural violence can originate out of many places such as cultural, historical, political, economical. Paul Farmer, a renowned anthropologist and doctor who has done extensive work in both Haiti and Russia, has spent considerable time analyzing why suffering exists and how to redefine this suffering. In his book Pathologies of Power, he raises the question, "by what mechanisms do social forces... become embodied as individual experience?"
Sometimes in order to understand certain things, it's helpful to have ways to connect it to things we already know.
Through examining the forces of structural violence in countries, the reality that sometimes poverty is a cycle impossible to escape becomes clear. Many of the patients at the Home for the Dying had everything against them--low status in a society where hierarchy is everything, lack of access to health care, no family... these factors add up to an equation few have the power to answer.
Structural Violence in India
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Structural Violence in the United States
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How do the Missionaries of Charity Address the Cycle of Poverty?
Through the countless homes opened by the Sisters around the world, those afflicted by the pain of poverty and structural violence can find shelter and comfort. While volunteering at Kalighat, I bore witness to women being literally carried in off of the street. Sometimes these women would have horrifying open wounds, from either sickness or physical abuse. One woman in particular was brought in with an open head wound filled with maggots. There were punctures so large you see inside of her head. Although it was hard to know exactly what caused this wound (many of the patients are mentally unstable and therefore it is impossible to receive a trustworthy explanation) the Missionaries of Charity do their best to offer a place for men and women to be given dignity and for many, a respectable place to die.
Yes, it will take more than a group of Sisters to conquer and defeat social justice and discrimination; however, the Missionaries of Charity provide love and compassion for the poor. This alone has had the power to transform thousands of lives and will continue to do so for years to come through the help of donors, volunteers, and the power of prayer.
Yes, it will take more than a group of Sisters to conquer and defeat social justice and discrimination; however, the Missionaries of Charity provide love and compassion for the poor. This alone has had the power to transform thousands of lives and will continue to do so for years to come through the help of donors, volunteers, and the power of prayer.
Sources used: social.jrank.org, pathologies of power (farmer)