Composition & Essay Writing [ 98 ] Poverty , Actions Speak Louder Than Words

 

98 - ] Composition & Essay Writing 

Poverty

                 “Poverty is the worst form of violence”. – Mahatma Gandhi.

We can define poverty as the condition where the basic needs of a family, like food, shelter, clothing, and education are not fulfilled. It can lead to other problems like poor literacy, unemployment, malnutrition, etc. A poor person is not able to get education due to lack of money and therefore remains unemployed. An unemployed person is not able to buy enough & nutritious food for his family and their health decline. A weak person lacks the energy required for the job. A jobless person remains poor only. Thus we can say that poverty is the root cause of other problems.

                 For measuring poverty United nations have devised two measures of poverty – Absolute and relative poverty.  Absolute poverty is used to measure poverty in developing countries like India. Relative poverty is used to measure poverty in developed countries like the USA. In absolute poverty, a line based on the minimum level of income has been created and is called a poverty line.  If per day income of a family is below this level , then it is poor or below the poverty line. If per day income of a family is above this level , then it is non-poor or above the poverty line. In India, the new poverty line is  Rs 32 in rural areas and Rs 47 in urban areas.

                  According to the Noble prize winner South African leader, Nelson Mandela – “Poverty is not natural, it is man-made”. The above statement is true as the causes of poverty are generally man-made. There are various causes of poverty but the most important is population. Rising population is putting the burden on the resources and budget of countries. Governments are finding difficult to provide food, shelter and employment to the rising population.

                         The other causes of poverty are- lack of education, war, natural disaster, lack of employment, lack of infrastructure, political instability, etc. For instance- lack of employment opportunities makes a person jobless and he is not able to earn enough to fulfill the basic necessities of his family and becomes poor. Lack of education compels a person for less paying jobs and it makes him poorer. Lack of infrastructure means there are no industries, banks, etc. in a country resulting in lack of employment opportunities. Natural disasters like flood, earthquake also contribute to poverty.

                     In some countries, especially African countries like Somalia, a long period of civil war has made poverty widespread. This is because all the resources and money are being spent in war instead of public welfare. Countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. are prone to natural disasters like cyclone, etc. These disasters occur every year causing poverty to rise.

           Poverty affects the life of a poor family. A poor person is not able to take proper food and nutrition and his capacity to work reduces. Reduced capacity to work further reduces his income, making him poorer. Children from poor family never get proper schooling and proper nutrition. They have to work to support their family and this destroys their childhood. Some of them may also involve in crimes like theft, murder, robbery, etc. A poor person remains uneducated and is forced to live under unhygienic conditions in slums. There are no proper sanitation and drinking water facility in slums and he falls ill often and  his health deteriorates. A poor person generally dies an early death. So, all social evils are related to poverty.

                  Some governments have also took several measures to eradicate poverty from their countries . Some of them are – creating employment opportunities, controlling population, etc. For example in India, about 60% of the population is still dependent on agriculture for its livelihood. Government has taken certain measures to promote agriculture in India. The government constructed certain dams and canals to provide easy availability of water for irrigation. Government has also taken steps for the cheap availability of seeds and farming equipment to promote agriculture. Government is also promoting farming of cash crops like cotton, instead of food crops. In cities, the government is promoting industrialization to create more jobs. Government has also opened  ‘Ration shops’. Other measures include providing free & compulsory education for children up to 14 years of age, scholarship to deserving students from a poor background, providing subsidized houses to poor people, etc.

               Poverty is a social evil, we can also contribute to control it. For example- we can simply donate old clothes to poor people, we can also sponsor the education of a poor child or we can utilize our free time by teaching poor students. Remember before wasting food, somebody is still sleeping hungry.

Action Speaks Louder Than Words

                    Several wise proverbs in the world are quite old in origin. Similarly, the proverb “action speaks louder than words” is an age-old proverb. Like much older proverbs, this proverb is also valuable, wise, and mature in its teaching. Furthermore, the phrase implies that what one does has a stronger impact on people than what one says. Most noteworthy, the phrase means that people would probably believe what you do than what you               

             First of all, actions carry much more weight than words when building trust. Furthermore, trust is very important in every type of relationship. Without trust, no relationship can survive. Moreover, it’s easy to try to build trust by speaking some words. However, building trust through actions is not so easy. Merely speaking words will never create a long-lasting healthy relationship. What really matters in building solid relationships are the actions.

                     Actions are a huge requirement when committing to goals. Many people make great claims when it comes to goals. However, those claims or words will be without any value if not backed by action. Similarly, people make grand New Year resolutions for their careers. But these resolutions will certainly be nonsense talk if the person makes no effort to pursue his goals.

Actions are essential when it comes to parenting. Kids quickly learn that words are a bunch of false promises if no action takes place. Furthermore, many parents warn their kids of the punishments in case of certain wrongdoings. But some of those parents refuse to punish kids after they do wrongdoing. Due to this, kids don’t value the warnings and threats of their parents. Similarly, some parents make promises of a gift but later on, let go of the idea. In this case, too, kids will not take words of parents seriously.

               Actions are certainly of paramount importance when it comes to leadership. The orders and instructions from a leader will not matter much if the leader is actionless . Furthermore, in an organization employees often see a lazy boss doing nothing. This creates tremendous demotivation among them. Hence, the leader must take suitable action to show everyone that he means what he says.

           As for  real-life Examples of “Action Speaks Louder than Words” , Mahatma Gandhi is probably the most noteworthy example here. This man did a huge contribution to Indian independence through his actions. Furthermore, his actions like non-violence, non-cooperation, civil disobedience, supporting farmers, supporting oppressed people made a huge impact. He was not one of those who only made grand speeches. Rather, he was a man who stood by what he said. The soldiers form another suitable example. Most noteworthy, these soldiers risk their lives every day for the nation’s security. Unlike many politicians who only make speeches, these soldiers actually do something meaningful . Moreover, these soldiers work selflessly without any desire for fame. Certainly, many people will never know their names.

                In conclusion, the proverb “action speaks louder than words” is a valuable life lesson. Furthermore, when an individual uses words, it is much easier to lie. However, an action strongly correlates with what one wants and believes. Actions certainly speak the truth.