Millions of people are living in poverty across the globe, and despite the wealth this country enjoys, there are an estimated 44 million people in the US who exist on very little. Our current Housing Secretary, former neurosurgeon Ben Carson, recently stated, “I think poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind.” Fortunately, there are enough people around the globe with more compassion and empathy than Dr. Carson. Some of those folks are involved in research focused on gauging the effects of growing up poor.
“Our past research has shown that the brain’s anatomy can look different in poor children, with the size of the hippocampus and amygdala frequently altered in kids raised in poverty,” said study authors Deanna Barch and Gregory Couch. “Children raised in poverty tend to have poorer cognitive and educational outcomes and are at higher risk for psychiatric illnesses, including depression and antisocial behaviors.”
Further research indicates that children become challenged when there is not enough hope in their lives, especially before the age of 10. Without hope, imagination suffers, creativity is stifled, and motivation is hindered. The importance of giving children hope, regardless of their social and financial status, cannot be overstated. Let’s get a whisper from spirit on the benefit of having the energy of hope available to all.
Every living organism and every human being began their journey from a spark of light. That spark of light holds the connection between human consciousness and the energy known as love. Each physical incarnation brings opportunities to experience a return to the sovereign place of love without conditions as the soul journeys through time and space.
Emotions pave the road for the soul, for they provide the energy that creates reactions and movement, insight and experience, reflection and discovery. Hope is an essential emotion with regard to raising vibrations and connecting the soul to faith and to expectations. When hope is lost or unavailable to the developing mind, faith is lost and love may be perceived as unavailable or illusive. Without love, consciousness is weakened by the lower vibrations.
Any loss of hope affects emotional intelligence, mainly due to the numbing effects of the pain that comes with the experience of lack. Humans can overcome incredible odds, but the energy of hope gives the greater ability to see the path to a better life and the courage to set foot on that path. The energy of hope fills a deflated heart that’s leaking from the absence of love for life. Perception is heightened when hope is breathed into any situation or circumstance. The more dire the conditions, the more challenging it can be to find faith in the connection to spirit.
Poverty is responsible for more suffering on the planet than any other condition or externally based influence. Small acts of kindness can change the conditions by bringing hope and a vision of what life can be. The greatest resource available to everyone is love in action, which is faith. By offering your resources to the poor, you are changing their condition by giving them hope. Offer hope by creating kind gestures, sharing inspiration, demonstrating empathy, voicing injustice, and gifting the energy of hope through conscious living. Love by example.
Bring joy, ease suffering and create beauty, then dance like you mean it!
Blessings, Russell
“You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one.” John Lennon
