Faithfully yours - Breaking unhealthy cycles

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Published on Sunday, October 11, 2015

By Neil Strohschein

The Neepawa Banner

A few weeks ago, my work required me to attend a service in the Neepawa United Church. As I entered the sanctuary that day, I noticed that the side and back walls were decorated with what appeared to be paper dolls. Was I in for a surprise.

Closer examination revealed that each cut out represented a Canadian child. Most of them were just plain cut outs. What was written on the rest got my attention. Each one highlighted one facet of an issue that has gone virtually unnoticed in this country—the issue of child poverty.

I will be the first to admit that I did not respond well to what I saw. My feelings of shock turned to anger (at who, I’m not sure) and then to frustration; because while the focus of the display at Neepawa United is on child poverty, that issue is but one facet of a far greater problem we have in this country. We have lost the independent spirit that built this country and we have become far too dependent on social and economic safety nets for our maintenance and support.

Politicians appeal to this trend—especially during election campaigns. They promise all sorts of new initiatives to address poverty, housing and other crises in Canada. Each announcement is carefully choreographed to get the required sound bite or video clip, and is accompanied by a promise to spend several million dollars on these new programs. It all sounds very impressive.

Well, I for one am no longer impressed. Spending more money on new or existing programs is, in my view, about as useful as taking extra strength Tylenol for a chronic headache. Tylenol does not cure a headache—all it does is postpone the pain for a while. To permanently cure a headache, you need to identify its root cause (which usually involves a visit to a doctor) and deal with that. Eliminate the root cause and you eliminate the headache and the need for Tylenol.

It is the same, I would argue, with the issue of child poverty. It must be combatted on two fronts. First, we need to deal with the immediate need. Parents need to be told that they are responsible to feed, clothe and educate the children they bring into this world. If they can’t, then society has to find out why they can’t and address that problem. And it must be done in a way that respects the culture and beliefs of the individuals involved. I fully support social programs that do that.

But there is a second front on which this battle must be fought. In the classroom, in the church and in the community, we must give the children who, at this moment, live below the poverty line, the tools they need to build lives that are free from dependence on government support.

This will not happen overnight. The problems we face today have taken 50 years to develop. They will take at least that long to solve. The price will be enormous, but worth it. A key to any program’s success will be the attitude of the victims of child and subsequent adult poverty.

When a victim says: “I’m sick and tired of being trapped in this cycle of poverty; and I am prepared to do whatever I must to break that cycle and build a better life for myself and my family;” society must respond. We must reach out in love and say: “We are here to help. We will give you the tools. You can finish the job.”