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2 and a half years ago, 500 bucks was a life changing amount of money for me. for many (most?) people in my life, it's still a huge amount. folks may not always make it known that they're struggling, not wanting to burden others.
their standards are likely also lower, and a crappy circumstance a financially stable person might not be willing to live with may be an expected disadvantage and a familiar part of the backdrop for a poor person - "that's life."
now that I'm not flat broke anymore - and just in time for life to get even tougher for poor people this year - reaching out gently to individuals in my life has worked really well. it lets me identify people who are stuck and who may even be downplaying how screwed they are.
these folks are likely not expecting any additional aid to be coming in. a few hundred bucks might save them from an enormous setback. reaching out myself to break the ice has allowed me to casually assist, without it being a big thing or anyone thinking they have to pay me back.
I will say that every person I've reached out to in this manner has basically broken down and admitted how much they've been struggling.
before these conversations, they all seemed to at least be holding it together... I would've never known it was quite so bad. and for all of them, a little money drastically improved their situation.
some of us are highly acquainted with the acute terror of just not having enough, and how much harder everything else becomes when you're there. a person going through this might be able to live at 5/10 stress instead of, say, 9/10 stress for awhile if somebody helps them out.
that reduction can change their mental and physical health, and allow them some precious wiggle room in their lives again. this probably the most direct way I can improve the lives of others. that reserve of life energy runs out QUICK when you have no money.
one person couldn't wait to take her kids to the grocery store, and she couldn't have sounded more thrilled for that simple experience. sometimes it's just the smallest comforts that get people through (and im sure a full belly helps too)
I'll never tell anyone what to do with their money, and I'd be sad if someone's takeaway from this was anything like that. but some folks have never been poor, and may not have a sense for what poor people are going through right now.
getting into the practice of doing this helped me feel a little less powerless, with so much up in the air for all of us already. it seemed like bringing this stuff up to people would be awkward, but it just made me feel closer to my loved ones.
it definitely can't hurt to check and make sure the people who seem OK really are - this goes past money, to mental health and beyond. it may be people you've never needed to worry about before. just caring about someone and making it known to them matters too
please don't praise me for saying this stuff, I feel awkward putting some of this out there because it could come across like i'm looking for recognition. instead, if you've not thought about this before, please do! it's good to be conscious of the experiences of others.
if you want to do the same thing I did and you can swing it, try it sometime. if you don't, can't, or something else, that's perfectly fine too! long threads are not my favorite but just really wanted to put these thoughts into the universe because it matters a lot to me. thank u
