Don't Blame Life

There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need. (Acts 4: 34-35)

I believe that we are poor because of greed and corruption. Not because of our population. It is more convenient to think that poverty is caused by having more mouths to feed. But the truth is that the real issue which are greed and corruption is being diverted to population. Why sacrifice life, when we should be addressing greed?

Here are more questions we can ponder upon:

• If we lessen our population, would that mean we will have less greedy people?
• If there were 10 apples for 10 people, and one person got all the apples, won't 90% of them go hungry?
• Because the poor cannot afford to buy food, isn't hunger caused by a lack of access of food, rather than the lack of supply? (Just look at the amount of food that food chains throw everyday)
• Aren't underpopulated countries worried about their negative birth rate which will eventually lead to extiction of their own race and culture?
• Aren't people supposed to be the greatest wealth and asset of a nation?
• If you are reading this and you have siblings, are you willing to sacrifice yourself or one of your family members to death so that the country will be rich?

We first have to have a societal consciousness and goal that there should be no one needy among us. "There was no needy person among them (Acts 4:34). We have grown so accustomed to seeing beggars on the street, that we have accepted the thought that we are "fortunate" and the ones on the streets are "unfortunate." Every child of God is born equal in worth and dignity. Let us not allow poverty to be an "acceptable" notion, but rather envision the day wherein no one is needy among us.

Second, we need to share what we can offer so that others may be provided for their needs.
"for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles(v. 34). To live simply so that others may simply live.

Third, we need trusted, zero corrupt institutions who are able to equitably distribute to the poor what they need. "...and they were distributed to each according to need (v.35)." And more so, empower the poor who have initially benefited to make sharing a part of the Filipino culture.

Let us not be swayed by the simplistic approach to solve poverty through artificial population control methods that hinder and destroy life. Let us go deeper and discover the real cause of our poverty, which is the decaying societal moral values that have resulted to extreme greed and embedded systemic and structural sins. The Biblical way is not an easy path to tread. It requires much love and sacrifice to solve the problem of poverty. The death of an innocent life of a baby in the womb through abortificient methods nor condoms that hinder conception is not the solution to our poverty. Life is not to blame. It is sin.