The Attitude of Giving in Rambam’s Obligations to the Poor Essay

The author starts by explaining a question that many people ask about the odd behaviors in poor people and their purchases. She helps to explain this by giving background information on her own family when she was growing up. An event she describes is when her neighbor was unable to obtain benefits to raise her granddaughter after a year, the authors mom dresses “expensively” or nicely to gain an upper hand when asking for their benefits. This is done to further her belief that people buy these things to belong and to gain more privilege. She ends her essay by stating a person cannot judge what a poor person does until they’ve been poor themselves.

Poor people are generally regarded as having a lack of worth in society, playing no

The Poor Law The Poor Law was a system established since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, about two hundred years before the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. In this system the able-bodied poor should be set to work, whilst the others had to be provided for by their parish of birth. By 1795 when the whole system was under strain, an attempted solution was the Speenhamland system also know as the allowance system that was devised in 1795.

The manner in which the poor are patronized begins to have a lasting mental effect. Poor start to feel the

I am only thinking about myself and have been conditioned by society that the poor are beneath me. Just as hooks states in her book, “Society is telling them that poverty and nihilism are one and the same. If they cannot escape poverty, then they have no choice but to drown in the image of a life that is valueless” (hooks, 198), we have been taught by society to believe that poverty and nihilism are synonymous, but this is not true. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, I believe it takes a nation to resolve the issue of poverty. Our society needs to dig deep to reignite the morals that generations in the past taught us; sharing our resources, whether monetarily or charitably, through understanding, kindness and generosity to those less fortunate. We all have to be ready to share liberally and recognize the fact that there are those who struggle and deserve attention paid to their struggles. By helping others who have not, we keep our humanity intact and maintain our ability to empathize and show compassion towards others. Our culture is based on working together and helping our neighbors. We need to stop considering the poor invisible and instead take personal steps to keep our communities thriving via good will towards others, and lending a helping hand. The poor, just as our environment, are our responsibility, and the sharing of resources is crucial to bringing an individual from poverty to a more

Which lends to another reason that I can relate to the statement I just presented, in that I’m a kind of person who tends to keep the words of certain emotions I give off to others just by them personally knowing me, and what I can thinking of just by looking at me, but also one that gives to others without them asking for anything in return. For example, I would be the kind of person who would give someone a gift of some sort that would cost a bit of money, and that when it comes to a time when they’re about to return the favor, I would tell them that they wouldn’t have to do so. Another situation that can be somewhat similar to the one previously mentioned is that when it comes to things that have multiple things, such as a bottle of soda,

We all heard countless solutions on how to solve world poverty. In Peter Singer’s article “Rich and Poor”, he discusses how he thinks this problem can be fixed. Singer claims that we all have a responsibility to support people who are in extreme need and are suffering from absolute poverty. Singer believes that poverty could be fixed if people give up their luxuries and give the money that they spent on unnecessary things to those who are destitute. In Singer 's mind, we all have a duty to give until we are no longer able to, or until the problem with the world poverty will be solved. Singer feels that it is necessary for people who are more wealthy to help those who are less fortunate by donating money right away to organizations that help fight poverty. In his opinion, by not helping those in need we are negatively responsible for their suffering and thus failing to live a moral life.

There are so ways people express the ways they have had to deal with poverty in society. Also they are endless songs, movies and books expressing about people who have money that take advantage of those who do not. The Horatio Alger book called Ragged Dick deals with the many aspects of inhumanity, greed and the American Dream where it’s believed through hard work, strong ‘ethics, and being respectful a person can achieve a better life for themselves. I believe both of these aspects to be true to those who are in poverty and those who are rich.

When it comes to US citizens being obliged to take care of the less fortunate, I believe that should be done freely. If a citizen wants to help another person in need that should be of his or her own free well. I do not believe it is any citizen’s obligation to help the less fortunate but what I know is that, it’s the government’s obligation to help the less fortunate one. If the rich want to share their wealth to other incapable citizens it shouldn’t be forced or else it may result in resentment. But the wealth can also help the poor in their own way by offering donations to the less fortunate. In a news article Arthur Brooks stated that “America has a moral obligation to help its poorest citizens.

They carried a plastic sack with food and a bouquet of flowers wrapped in newspaper. This is an example of poverty because of they way they are carrying their stuff. Additionally another instance that describes poverty is the condition of clothing. “They were both in severe and poor mourning clothes.” (p.26)

Unfortunately, this fact is so true of our society today, but Yancey goes on to show how Jesus makes an extra effort to reach out to he poor. He gives a list, which he got from another writer, on the advantages of being poor. This list really made an impact on me. It showed me how I need to be more open to what God has to say, and not so involved with the materialistic and secular views of today. I need to focus on what God has planned for me, and not make my focus to be what other people think of me. “Strength, good looks, connections, and the competitive instinct may bring a person success in a society like ours, but those very qualities may block entrance to the kingdom of heaven” (Yancey 114).

     Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the first Beatitude. It tells us that we should accept people for who they are and not the material things they have. You should not treat a person who lives in a nice house and drives a nice car any different then someone who lives in a less desirable house and drives an old car. You should treat everyone how you would like to be treated. Just because someone can not afford some of the things as you might be able to does not mean that they are a bad person. We should accept everyone into our community.

For example; the United States itself and other nations such as Somalia and Congo continue to have people with no shelter over their head and those with no food to eat, regardless of how hard some may strive to make ends meet, they are still in poverty. As those more auspicious, we should consider it as a moral obligation to assist those people who are less fortunate, be it those in the same nation as us or those farther away.

Another teaching is contained in the guidelines set out for Muslims to follow. The two relevant guidelines are “You should support the community of Muslims” and “Justice, compassion and generosity are frequently given as qualities of a truly human life.” These two ethical guidelines require Muslims to support the poor and needy as if Muslims support the community through financial support than they are upholding the first guideline and if Muslims are generous and give money, besides Zakat to the poor and needy than they are upholding the second guideline. These guidelines tie in with what the prophet Mohammed made very clear through several sermons and a number of passages in the Qur’an “that there is a due above and over Zakat and that the

people of God: “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of