Gospel of Thomas(29) Jesus said, "If the flesh came into being because of spirit, it is a wonder. But if spirit came into being because of the body, it is a wonder of wonders. Indeed, I am amazed at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty."
Blake was never wealthy but he went through periods ranging from relative affluence to abject poverty. One constant in his life in spite of his circ*mstances was that he continued to work at his art whatever difficulties there were. If you look at pictures he produced when you know he was destitute, there is no intimation that he was working in poverty. In fact the period in which he returned to London in 1803 after the three years in Felphan was a time when his income was at a low ebb. However inspiration had returned to him giving him renewed reason to produce what his imagination led him to. His hopes of earning significant income from his art were repeatedly thwarted, but that gave him more time to put into the writing and engraving of Jerusalem which he probably knew from the beginning would not earn appreciable money. In 1818 John Linnell was added to Thomas Butts as a supporter who provided regular commissions. These two men provided the roof over his head and food on the table through years of productive labor when Blake lived according to vision and imagination.
The quote I begin with from the Gospel of Thomas came to mind as I thought of the treasures of art and poetry Blake had produced when his outward circ*mstances were miserable. In a strange way Blake's spirit was expressed in his art
because he lived without the world's rewards. His work became the body in which his spirit resided. The 'wonder' of which Jesus spoke, which made its home in this poverty, is seen in the wealth of spirit expressed in Blake as he struggled outwardly with lack and loss and little.
This image from Blake's illustrations for Edward Young's Night Thoughts encapsulates a wealth of ideas which recur in Blake extended myth.
Go to the Library of Congress website for the enlarged view.The final verse of Holy Thursday epitomises t
he mental state which allowed Blake to work without regard to outward hardships.Songs of Innocence, SONGS 33, (E 19)
HOLY THURSDAY
"Is this a holy thing to see,
In a rich and fruitful land,
Babes reduced to misery,
Fed with cold and usurous hand?
Is that trembling cry a song?
Can it be a song of joy?
And so many children poor?
It is a land of poverty!
And their sun does never shine.
And their fields are bleak & bare.
And their ways are fill'd with thorns.
It is eternal winter there.
For where-e'er the sun does shine,
And where-e'er the rain does fall:
Babe can never hunger there,
Nor poverty the mind appall."
FAQs
Generally, a person is considered to live in poverty when they are unable to afford the basic necessities for life which are otherwise considered essential in society. Wealth is the ownership of the total of a person's assets at a given point in time.
Is there enough money in the world to end poverty? ›
At current rates of progress, the world will likely not meet the global goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030, with estimates indicating that nearly 600 million people will still be struggling with extreme poverty then.
Why the poor stay poor and the rich stay rich? ›
Poor people tend to spend their money on liabilities — items that depreciate over time — such as luxury goods, excessive entertainment, or expensive cars. In contrast, the rich focus on acquiring assets — investments that generate passive income or appreciate.
How does wealth lead to poverty? ›
People can have more money but still experience poverty because food, clothing, shelter, health, energy, education are all more costly as a result of privatisation. More money can go hand in hand with increased material poverty, with people having less access to basic needs such as food and water.
How does wealth and poverty affect society? ›
The social consequences of poverty include family issues, impacts on social and cultural lives, and higher rates of crime and victimisation. The economic consequences of poverty are a lack of social mobility, problems with housing and homelessness, and a segregated society.
Will poverty end by 2030? ›
If current trends continue, 7 per cent of the world's population – roughly 574 million people – will still live in extreme poverty in 2030. However, with ambitious and concerted action towards the most vulnerable, we can reduce poverty drastically by lifting 124 additional million people out of extreme poverty by 2030.
Will poverty end in 2050? ›
According to the forecast, extreme poverty – living on less than $2.15 a day – would fall below 2% globally by 2050 from about 8% in 2022. In Africa, where it is highest, it would fall from 29% to 7%. More than two-thirds of the world could be living on more than $10 a day by 2050, up from about 42% today.
How much money would cure poverty? ›
Figure 1 below provides some estimates of the cost of solving selected global problems. For example, updating previous work, I estimate that $95 billion would be enough to eradicate extreme poverty for all the 708 million people in the world living below the international threshold of $1.90 per person per day.
What did Jesus say about the rich and poor? ›
Luke 12:33-34 (NIV)
“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
What do the rich want the poor have? ›
A poor has nothing, and a rich needs nothing, and it'll kill u if you eat nothing. What is it that the poor have, and that the rich need? The answer to the riddle is "nothing." This riddle plays on the idea that the poor may have nothing, the rich may need nothing, and consuming nothing will not harm you.
Proverbs 15:16 In-Context
16 Better to be poor and fear the Lord than to be rich and in trouble. 17 Better to eat vegetables with people you love than to eat the finest meat where there is hate.
What are the dangers of poverty? ›
Poverty stunts physical growth and development. Poverty hinders social and emotional development. Poverty shortens life expectancy. Poverty inflates infant and child mortality rates.
Why is poverty a problem? ›
Poverty entails more than the lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services, social discrimination and exclusion as well as the lack of participation in decision-making.
How can we be free from poverty? ›
7 Tips for Breaking the Cycle of Poverty
- 1 - Educate Yourself. This one comes first because it's the most important. ...
- 2 - Change Your Mindset Towards Money. ...
- 3 - Leverage Community Resources. ...
- 4 - Avoid Predatory Payday Lending. ...
- 5 - Ask Someone you Trust. ...
- 6 - Focus on your Credit. ...
- 7 - Don't be Afraid to Walk Away.
Wealth is an accumulation of valuable economic resources that can be measured in terms of either real goods or money value. Net worth is the most common measure of wealth, determined by taking the total market value of all physical and intangible assets owned, then subtracting all debts.
What view of wealth and poverty does the book of Proverbs have? ›
So poverty, like wealth, can be either a blessing or a curse. Poverty is a blessing if it prompts us to rely upon God; yet, poverty is a curse if it is the result of sin. To summarize the above, then, the book of Proverbs does not give preference or favor to a particular material status—either wealth or poverty.
What is a simple explanation of wealth inequality? ›
Wealth Inequality
Wealth refers to the total amount of assets of an individual or household. This may include financial assets, such as bonds and stocks, property and private pension rights. Wealth inequality therefore refers to the unequal distribution of assets in a group of people.
What explains poverty? ›
Poverty is about not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter.
Go to the Library of Congress website for the enlarged view.
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