Poverty, A Socioeconomic Epidemic We Must End

Poverty acts like a disease: insidious, widespread, and passed down through
generations. Systematically deepening inequality traps individuals and
communities in cycles of poverty.

We should view poverty not just as the absence of resources, but as a state that
affects the mind, body, and spirit. Like any illness, poverty impacts every aspect of
a person’s life, and it demands urgent action.

Poverty’s Cognitive Toll: The Mental Bandwidth Crisis

Poverty drains mental resources, leading to poor decision-making and limiting the
ability to plan for the future. In Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much,
authors Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir explain how living in poverty forces
people to focus just on immediate needs, what they call “tunneling.” This short-
term focus limits the ability to think strategically and break free from poverty. It
means perpetuating the cycle of scarcity.

When money, time, or resources become scarce, many people develop tunnel
vision in which they become blind to other important areas of their lives. A poor
person in such a situation is likely to be involved with immediate financial issues,
such as paying the rent or buying groceries, rather than retirement savings or
further education.

Since all of one’s attention is focused on vital needs, less scope remains for making
strategic choices which could break the poverty cycle. In the same manner that
diseases like cancer or diabetes discharge physical energy and divert attention to
survival.

This cognitive load becomes what Mullainathan and Shafir call the “bandwidth
tax,” whereby the mind is so overcome with immediate problems that it loses the
capacity to think about long-term goals.

The Physical Burden: Poverty and Health

Poverty isn’t just a psychological challenge; it’s also a physical one. Christian H.
Cooper, in his article Why Poverty Is Like a Disease, Highlights the similarities
between the physical strain caused by chronic stress from poverty and the effects
of actual diseases.

Cooper explained that to live in poverty is a very stressful existence. The constant
strain of financial insecurity weakens the immune system, increases the risk of
heart disease, and worsens mental health. Access to healthcare, proper nutrition,
and safe living conditions are often out of reach, further exacerbating these
challenges.

He compared the constant stress of being poor with the body reaction when
infected or injured and when cortisol and adrenaline are released as responses to
threats. In a poor individual, there is constant triggering of these hormones to
result in wear and tear of the body, similar to how chronic exposure to disease
might wear down a person’s physical health over time.

Poverty is a sort of disease that attacks body and mind together, not infrequently with devastating results.

Systemic Inequality: How Poverty Spreads

Much like a contagious disease, poverty spreads through communities and is
fueled by systemic inequalities. Issues like Racism, sexism, and classism create
fertile ground for poverty, severely impacting marginalized communities.

For instance, look at the wealth gap across racial lines in the United States. Due to
historical injustices such as redlining, segregation, and inequality in education and
job opportunities, the poverty burden disproportionately falls on Black and
Hispanic communities. Wealth gap and poverty making it harder for these groups
to escape poverty.

Globally, developing nations face similar challenges due to colonial exploitation
and economic disparity. The gap between rich and poor continues to widen,
creating an “epidemic” of poverty that crosses national borders, affecting both
individuals and the global economy.

Breaking the Cycle: Our Approach to Ending Poverty

We believe that treating poverty like a disease requires targeted interventions that
address its root causes. A systematic change in order to help alleviate the weight
of poverty.

1. Economic and Social Policy Reforms
We advocate for policies that tackle structural inequalities. By pushing for
progressive taxation on the richest we could provide affordable healthcare, and
accessible education for everyone. We aim to create a safety net for the most
vulnerable members of society.

2. Mental Health Support and Empowerment Programs
Just as individuals suffering from chronic illness need ongoing care, so do those
living in poverty. Working on provide access to mental health services, counseling,
and stress management programs is needed to help alleviate the psychological
burden of poverty.

3. Global Cooperation and Fair Trade
The fight against poverty must be global. We collaborate with governments and
international organizations to close the wealth gap between nations. Climate
change, food insecurity, and economic instability disproportionately affect the
poorest countries.

Join Us in the Fight against Poverty

Poverty is not just an economic issue; it’s a global health crisis that requires a
collective effort to overcome. At Human Act, we’re dedicated to ending this
epidemic by addressing poverty’s cognitive, physical, and social dimensions. Join
us to ensure that no one is left behind.

Together, we can break the cycle of poverty and create a world where everyone
has the opportunity to thrive.