SHIVA RATRI: USING YOUR LIGHT TO ELIMINATE POVERTY

Shiva Ratri is celebrated on February 21st and 22nd in the West, starting at 6 p.m. and ending at 6:00 a.m. As I mentioned in my previous blog this month, Shiva and Mother Parvati are connected with eliminating something negative and replacing it with something positive. If I had one wish, I would eliminate material poverty. The truth is because we have a number of people with spiritual poverty we have way too many people with material poverty. So we have to increase the number of people who want to increase spiritual prosperity in their lives who will be committed to share with others.

In the "Gita" Krishna talks about a social sin called greed. Gandhi says there is enough for our needs, but not enough for our greed. When we focus on our needs, we lessen our greed. We realize what is important. When we are committed to sharing with others, greed goes down.

Let us look at the number of people living in material poverty in the United States: 39.7 million. That is 39.7 million too many. About 17.8% of the people in this country live in material poverty. The Scandinavian countries have the lowest percentage of people living in poverty in the highest income countries. Their percentage is 5% to 8%. One of reasons is there is a more equal distribution of wealth through their basic social safety net system. Not only do these countries believe everyone should have certain basic needs met through their tax system, they are committed to a certain level of prosperity as a society. The rest of Europe has a slightly higher rate of poverty than the Scandinavian countries do. They are also more committed to the same philosophy as the Scandinavian countries. They all have national health care systems and some have national child care systems. The United States has one of the highest poverty rates among higher income nations. Their social safety net is not as good. They do not provide a national health care system for all and child care systems that many European countries do. They provide some help to people via their social safety net system, but it is not as good as many countries in Europe. Housing costs here are very high and the federal government is not building public housing like it should. The most effective program in reducing poverty in the United States is Social Security, which is paid for via our tax system. Medicaid, Medicare, the Vets and Indian Health System are the only socialized part of our health care system. Having had private insurance Medicaid and Minnesota Care, our state health care program for low-income individuals, I got to be honest the government health care programs are superior to private insurance. They cost less with small co-pays and you have way more choice of providers. Hennepin County has an Alternative Medicine Clinic, which is covered by Medicaid and Minnesota Care. Private insurance has larger co-pays and costs way more because of the high cost of premiums. Some people pay over a $1,000 dollars a month for these premiums. Often it does not cover basic doctor costs because you have to meet a deductible amount of over $1,500. It is more like hospital insurance after you pay the basic $1,500 deductible. It rarely covers the majority of health care costs and is the number one reason for bankruptcies in this country. We need a less greedy health care system for the public, like Medicare for All, as advocated by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

What types of individuals are more likely to live in poverty? Women, vets, single mothers, those without high school education, the disabled, children five and under, city dwellers and farmers are more likely to live in poverty than the rest of the population. Blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans are the racial groups with the highest poverty rates. They also have the highest rates of homelessness.

Those in poverty generally have less healthy diets, smoke more and have higher stress rates. Some individuals live in food desserts where they only have small convenience stores around them. These stores do not often have healthy produce like larger grocery stores and food coops do. So helping people grow their own produce would be very helpful. Higher stress rates is not surprising considering they have more social problems because of their income level. That is where it is the best to help raise their income level. Chant, yoga and meditation can be learned free on line for every one. Smoking education should be taught in the schools, bus shelters should have quit smoking hot line phone numbers, and Nicotine Anonymous should be encouraged to do presentations in schools and community centers on quitting smoking. Some churches do have free produce and food shelves and this increases a person's access to healthy food. Food coops have low-income discounts and memberships. I think we need more food shelves with foods who are additive free and contain less sugar.

Those in poverty also use mass transit, bike and walk more than those with higher incomes. Biking and walking are good for your health. Not all public transit systems are like New York City's where the system is extensive and runs frequently. Many jobs are in the suburbs and often public transit is non-existent or very inadequate to those permanent jobs in the suburbs. The inner city has more temporary jobs which are project based. Forty percent of the work force is temporary and this causes many to have variable incomes. Unemployment only lasts six months even for those over 60 who are often discriminated against like women and minorities.

Discrimination in hiring practices is another cause of poverty. Our country needs to do a better job in lowering discrimination against those over 40 and women and minority groups. Minorities and women are paid less wages than white males. This adds to their poverty rates. Yet companies who are the most diverse have a higher monetary bottom line. A company would be wise to have a more diverse work force.

What would help those in poverty? The social safety net programs are necessary for many, so we should not be cutting funds for these programs. We should ask the highest income earners to pay a little more in taxes. Some larger companies, like Amazon, pay no taxes. This is not right. Raising the minimum wage is crucial in lifting people out of poverty. Some of the largest corporations pay less than smaller businesses for wages. This is not right. They are the ones who should be paying the highest wages.

Increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit has helped many people afford clothing and other items which are necessary for survival. It generates jobs because these low income individuals have more disposable income to buy items sold at smaller businesses.

Providing pay equity for women and minorities is important. This would bring in more income to more families. Paid sick and family leave is something we need in this country. We are the only developed country in the world without this policy. Having stable work schedules would help many families. Having erratic work hours and levels of income are not a good thing for American families. Affordable child care and early education would make it easier for more family members to work outside the home and bring in needed income to the household. Expanded Medicaid would also help many families stay healthy, so they can bring in more income. Reforming the criminal justice system would allow more people to work and increase their income levels. It would make it less likely the individual would resort to crime again to gain income.

Focus on your own ways to help others when you are able to help them. This is where spiritual prosperity is important. Sharing your resources and using your own light to those in need is good karma. Vote for those who advocate for the poor and support policies which help the poor improve their lives. I like the idea of former President Bill Clinton of expanding the idea of who "We the People" are in this country. This is found in the preamble to the Constitution.

Progress is spiritual and Shiva and Mother Parvati are great role models and advocates for the poor. Once they disguised themselves as beggars to see if anyone recognized their divinity. No one recognized who they were and helped them. They discussed this situation and state of affairs with humans. I remember going to the mandir one summer afternoon. At the end of the meal, some food was left over so some of the women gave me the left over food. I went home on the bus, but on the way I saw a vision of Mother Parvati and Lord Shiva. As I got off the bus to get on the next one, I saw a homeless couple. I immediately recognized their divinity and gave them the food. This is spiritual prosperity to share what you have with others. I know of others who have done the same thing to help me when I needed it. I am thankful for those individuals. I hope you will share your light with others today just like Mother Parvati and Lord Shiva do every day. Go to the mandir on Shiva Ratri and enjoy being with your friends. Enjoy being in all the spiritual beauty of the mandir. Recognize the poor among you and help them out. Donate to a non-profit who helps those in need. Be a light today. Happy Shiva Ratri!

JAI SHRI SHIVA! JAI SHRI MA! JAI SHRI LIGHT!

Radhapriestess