Everybody’s life’s are different, someone may look the same as you and feel the same as you but the worries and struggles we all face are different. We shouldn’t take what we have for granted when others are struggling.

What would you do if you knew somebody was struggling with money, food, clothes, house, rent, would you help?

Or would you keep living your life with your own worries hoping that some day it will all blow over.

For some people it doesn’t blow over. It is a constant reminder of what, they believe, is failing in life. We, as a society, label others as “rich” and “poor” and we treat these people with different respect. Where has the equality gone? Has there ever been equality?

In my recent workshop for my values module we were split into groups and each given an envelope. The contents of each envelope was different; ranging from a wide variety of materials to a scarce amount. We were then told to create something that would help a first year student at University with the resources given to us.

From the start our lecturer was treating everybody differently; the groups who had more were treated with a lot more respect whereas the people who had less were not treated with equal respect.
As the task went on the groups who had less were beginning to feel worse, as if they couldn’t do anything right.
We were then told at the end of task that the whole time the lecturer was acting, conveying to us what it might feel like to be treated differently by people who have more.

From somebody who has been reasonably well off so far, I felt awful. I was part of the group who didn’t have very much and we tried so hard with what we had. Which is what people around the world are trying to do now as I am writing this. Scrimping here, saving there to try and live a decent life.

The labels that we give each other of “rich” and “poor” are very negative. Should the “rich” not be helping the “poor”?

Yes, I believe so.

During the task, although we might have had less, we were much more resourceful. Whereas the people who had everything used everything, when they could have given to the “poor”. In society the “rich” should be helping with what they have and, don’t get me wrong, some are. There are food banks which the “rich” put food to, local communities where centres are set up to help with situations, but it isn’t enough.

The “poor” are still “poor” and the “rich” are still “rich”.

Let me set the scene: you are a teacher at a school, you walk into your class and see there is a mixture of girls and boys, backgrounds and cultures, “rich “ and “poor”. Would you treat everybody differently or would you treat them the same?

Any good minded human being would treat all the children with equal respect, so why don’t we in an everyday situation with adults. Is it not the just the same? With children we would give them all the the help they need to give them the best start in life, so why can’t we with adults?
We tell children to share with each other, no matter the background or culture or “rich” or “poor”. But, again, we do not do this as adults. Why? What makes us change?

Society.

As children we do not conform to what society want us to be as we don’t understand this concept yet. As we grow we begin to see what society want us to be and we conform. This is where we change. This is where we don’t share, this is where we don’t treat everybody equally, this is where the labels of “rich” and “poor” begin.

What would you do if you knew somebody was struggling with money, food, clothes, rent, would you help?