Is Poverty a Choice?

Poverty- noun
1. the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor.

I don't believe that poverty is a choice. It's a lifestyle that some people are trying to overcome. It may come upon a person unexpectedly, and they may not know how to deal with it. In America, poverty rated are through the roof, but what signifies being impoverished? Poverty in the United States is definitely different than poverty in southern Asia or Europe. Because of this, poverty is not a universal term; it should be hesitantly used to distinguish certain situations.

I believe that an impoverished person can begin to sort themselves again if they have right tools and the willpower to work hard to overcome their unique situation. We have all of miracle stories of unlucky people who beat the odds to become very famous. Oprah Winfrey, Jay-Z, even Michael Jackson have come from unfortunate statutes. We all are lucky enough to have the things we want. We must not look down on people who are homeless or live in homeless shelters, because 'things just haven't worked out for them yet.'