I am poor and I am proud

Living in poverty is living in darkness.

Windsor ranks among the top municipalities that provides subsidized and rent geared to income (RGI) housing. We seem to forget to be grateful for this, because being poor is depressing. We are economically handicapped and discriminated against because we live in RGI housing.

This is where I disagree. There are many people who are handicapped and there are many people who practice some form of discrimination. Some examples are discrimination against religion (islam), race , life style (homosexuality), economics (poverty), profession (ladies of the night).People who practise any form of discrimination are handicapped. They have filled their mind with thoughts of hate, anger and ignorance. Hate, anger and ignorance paralyze the ability to be happy and caring human beings. Every human being can be happy and caring.There are no limitations as to what we can do. The only limitation is OURSELVES. The limitation is the limitation that WE put in our own mind.

There are many different reasons that led us ( myself included) to poverty. It is up to us to, either be depressed or happy about our current situation. Seeking happiness by escaping reality through the use of artificial means such as drugs and alcohol abuse, will lead to SELF DESTRUCTION. Drug and alcohol abuse is NOT unique to poor people. RICH people overuse drugs or consume too much alcohol. It is a TEMPORARY escape from a dull, boring and stressful life. Happiness comes from within you. We can be HIGH on LIFE or we can be “high” on drugs and/or alcohol. Our body and mind can take a lot of abuse, but eventually we will suffer the consequences of our actions. I have chosen to be HAPPY and CARING without the assistance of drugs and alcohol. 

What poor people need is emotional support and encouragement and financial guidance to step out of the darkness. Increasing wages is not the solution. I am retired and I spend 60% of my low monthly income. I do not spend one dime on drugs and I am an occasional drinker. I do not own a car and I buy my clothes at thrift stores. I save 40% of my low monthly income.

I have recently  bought a duplex and my savings provided a 30% down payment. The rent income covers all my duplex expenses.

I stepped out of the darkness without the assistance of any agency. There are no agencies that offer encouragement, support and financial guidance.

I still consider myself poor and I will always be proud. I have many dreams for the future and I am working on making these dreams comes true! I am 69 years young!