Why the disparity?

This last week I had the privilege of helping one of my guys who is a senior in High School get a tux for his prom. This was totally last minute because his teacher persuaded him and another friend that they should go together. I know that this teen doesn’t view himself as being a lady’s man or someone to dress for success. Yet, I was so thrilled to listen to him and his friend, who yes is a girl, talk after the prom as I picked them up for a late dinner after the prom was over.

After we dropped off his date he made the comment that the prom was fun but wasn’t worth the amount it cost. If everything was totaled between the prom ticket, tux, nice dress, flowers, limo, food and hair cut it was close to $500. I know that this teen isn’t afraid of work but his family is barely able to do normal things let alone pay for a couple of hours of questionable partying.

I was having a rather in-depth conversation with a new friend who is an English teacher, writer and poet at a new church we were visiting. We were talking about the disparity of those who have versus those who don’t have. This conversation was so much broader then just monetary but focused on how our backgrounds, which we have little control over, so often determine whether we are part of the working class or part of the elite 1% who have everything. Typically the reality is that those that have much are usually a byproduct of inherited wealth, which they did little to receive.

I know that some of the teens I had in a few of my churches in Walnut Creek grew up in and around affluence so they seldom ever went without. I know that having worked with lower income families over the last decade has taught me that anyone is able to save, plan and accomplish great things. One of my Hispanic families saved up enough over 5 years to pay cash for a house. I don’t have many ‘White’ friends who can make this claim and I know that they make 3-4 times more income. Yet, they live usually hand to mouth because of always wanting any and everything now.

What is amazing to me is that the teen in this family, where mom saved up enough over 5 years to get their house for cash, has the same dream. He wants to buy his house with cash he has saved up. I tried to explain to him how long that would take depending upon how much he earned and then how much he saved on a monthly basis. It would take five years to save up to $20k if you saved $500 a month. I attempted to explain to my teen that he would have to get a full time job and actually save the majority of his income.

As we were driving this afternoon for a stayvacation we heard a heated discussion on whether Congress should require the minimum wage to be raised to $11 an hour. My heart breaks for those who have limited job skills and don’t have the means for training, more education or an opportunity to intern for a company to acquire experience. The reality is that those who have typically can’t relate back to those who are living hand to mouth and view them in a rather disdainful way at times. It is easy even for me to think that the person on the street without a job, residence, food or clothing is a total low life that could do something to see his situation improve. Yet, it takes time to learn from listening to someone what got them into their present circumstances and what would be required to see them rise above their surroundings.

I got into a social justice discussion with my one friend at church with the point that I do have a moral and spiritual responsibility to do something to help those that are struggling and just not point the finger and do blame casting. I know that after being around and helping the homeless over the last 35 years that their plight is still pretty much the same. It seems like the poor get poorer and the rich get richer. We pondered whether those with much should feel guilty and persuaded to do something with their resources?

I know that it is easy at times to resent those who have more and aren’t as quick to share, yet, I’m not much different when it comes to how I choose to live in an age of instant gratification. I also know that the raising of the minimum wage isn’t going to change economic plight of those in lower income bracket unless they choose to do something different that requires more training, education or risk taking. I know that those that already have much will end up having more just because of circumstances, which they may have little to do with or may have created.