What is worse? Physical Poverty or Mental Poverty?

Question

After hearing all these claims about global poverty and the amounts of cash needed, i beg to ask the question:
What is better, a happy poor man, or a depressed rich man?
What is worse? Physical Poverty or Mental Poverty?

Seeing that the answer is obvious, can anyone tell me why these people don't believe in giving people more happier lives rather than to try to stop poverty? It would seem much more productive...

Answer 1

Mental Poverty is worse, is better to be a happy "poor" person.

Answer 2

Mental poverty, by far. My grandparents lived on a farm. Their house was so rickety that during thunderstorms they had to sleep in a school bus in fear that the home would blow over. It only had 4 rooms, a living room with a stone fireplace, a kitchen and sloped down as you entered it, and 2 bedrooms, the one on the end had a fireplace. The house was not painted, no plumbing, little electricity, no TV, an old radio, and we had to take baths in a tub in the front yard by using well water that had to be heated up in a large kettle. But they always had food on the table, and when company would come they put everything they had on the table. They also ate squirrels, rabbit, wild game. We all used an outhouse, too. They were very happy to live that way. Even the roads were dirt and unpaved. They didn't know what poverty meant even though some government bureaucrat would then come along to tell them they were living in "poverty". I never heard them complain about "doing without" or feeling sorry for themselves. They grew their own crops, fished and hunted for their food. They may have been classified by the government as being "poor", but I never saw them suffer from "mental poverty" because they were very happy, loving and kind people despite their lack of conveniences.

Answer 3

There is no easy answer, and it depends upon your definition of poverty. It is not poor, and you are at the basic survival level. In that case, physical poverty is a lot worse. Only when you satisfy the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter can you hope to educate anyone. It is hard for one who has not seen starvation to imagine the misery.

Answer 4

How about Moral Poverty? The idea that the world revolves around oneself and that as long as one has enough to meet one's own needs, there can't be that much wrong with the world, and anyone living in real poverty must be there because of their own fault...

Seriously, what are you proposing? That we devote our energy to *entertaining* the starving children in Africa instead of feeding them?? How do you propose giving people "happier lives" when they don't have the resources to have a decent meal on the table, or clothes on their backs, or shelter from the elements?

There ARE enough resources in the world... just an egregious inequity of distribution... the amount of food that Americans throw away or allow to rot each week would be a good start, if it were distributed to people who actually needed it. MORAL poverty, my friend...

Answer 5

Mental poverty is worse..........because Money can not bring you joys.....but if you are a happy poor man, you can earn the money with you hard work ! So Money can be earned but not the happiness !

Answer 6

So we're now going to classify depression as "mental poverty"? The education system in this country is really starting to devalue my mental net worth!

Answer 7

Mental poverty is worse. Physical poverty can be overcome. Mental poverty--if you think education is expensive, try ignornance.

Answer 8

broke is a tempoary condition, poor is a state of mind. Mental defeatism will hold you down lie an anchor holds a ship in place

Answer 9

I would rather be a happy poor man. Money cannot buy happiness, and you are always wanting more.

Answer 10

I think you are trying to imagine what it feels like to be someone else.

I call that projecting. And it is terribly illogical. Be yourself, and do what you want to do. Stop trying to make others do what you want them to do.

Just my opinion as a happy middle of the road American who is tired of Liberals in my pockets.