Poverty

Why does being in an area of great poverty seem so threatening? We, like many of our fellow tourists, find ouselves uneasy in some of the poorer areas.

That they are often dirty & bedraggled make these areas ugly, but surely that by itself shouldn't be frightening. I can understand that life in crushing poverty must mean not having the money to do repairs & redecoration. The lack of self-respect & esteem too can conduce to an indifference to litter & a general temptation to just drop things on the floor, especially even you have to pay for official tips etc.

Is it just we've read about so much crime in this area? I felt a similar anxiety in St Lucia, yet crime is not supposed to be rife there.

I accept some of the causes of poverty are drugs & alcohol. People under such influences can be unpredictable, & in dire need of money to get the fix of their choice. I can't even be surprised that people in such a hopeless position may well want to escape into their addiction.

I accept, too, that people have to be tough in order to survive that daily grind. And some no doubt have criminal records. I can't entirely condemn someone for stealing rather than starving.

But the fact is, in my experience, most poor people are good people, hard-working for very little reward, generous to a fault.

Is it that I think I might be the cause of envy for my more affluent lifestyle? Or is it a fear of becoming a part of that poverty?

I just don't know. I'm just uneasy & wary.