Poverty

The word poverty can be understood in several ways:

• Poverty as a fact or external situation expresses the lack or scarcity of something. Thus we speak of economic poverty, cultural poverty, informational poverty, etc.
• Poverty as a virtue expresses an interior quality. It is the habit of being detached from material things, giving them a relative value and using them in a way fitting to the ends of man. This capacity is what we discuss here.

This refers to poverty as an external fact or situation. Having little money is a fact external to us, and here we are speaking of poverty as a virtue, as a quality that benefits us inwardly. Possessions — whether abundant or scarce — provide no inner advantage.

Sobriety in spending is one aspect and one consequence of poverty. The virtue of poverty covers a broader field of action that is not limited to spending in moderation. It also includes inner detachment from what one possesses, and the correct use of goods. For example, taking care that things last is a common exercise of poverty that hardly fits into the concept of sobriety.

Poverty is a necessary virtue because material goods can capture the human heart. Bracelets, a technological product, branded clothing or footwear can attract the human heart so powerfully that they enslave it, and a person finds it hard to stop paying them attention. And they are objects. Objects that say: "you are mine, you are my slave, you are obliged to buy me, to switch me on, to look at me, to use me." We do not want to be slaves, and we resolve to moderate those cravings by practicing poverty.

A person who acquires the habit of moderating desires for material goods enjoys several advantages:

• Detachment from material goods frees the heart from bonds and allows it to advance toward ideals without being led astray by the attractions it encounters along the way. With the virtue of poverty, joy increases and worry decreases. These are consequences of having a freer heart.
• Poverty saves effort. Things catch the attention, they invite being taken, and if one lets oneself be carried along, one ends up forgetting one's goals in order to spend time and energy acquiring objects. Perhaps the most evident benefit of poverty is that this virtue saves money, and that saved money can be used for more profitable works.
• Poverty helps one make sound decisions. A person enslaved to material things will seek material benefits, and this is not always what is appropriate.

Having many goods or few does not matter much for becoming better people. What matters is not being attached to material things, and this slavery can occur even when one has little. All the same, whoever possesses many goods has two additional burdens:

• He must be more on guard in this area because he has more opportunities to become chained to things, since he possesses them in abundance and quality.
• The rich person must administer his possessions by drawing good from them for the benefit of others. So money carries with it the obligation to use it correctly. In this sense, wealth is good because it makes it possible to do good.

Any virtue is an interior quality that is exercised both inwardly and outwardly. In the case of poverty:

• The interior aspect consists in being detached from material goods and desiring to use them correctly.
• The exterior applications concern the proper use of those goods.

Here are some examples:

• Not complaining when necessities are lacking. Here the complaint signals displeasure at that absence. If the heart were detached, one would simply bear the lack without further ado. The complaint reveals an intense desire for that object.
• Not treating something as one's own. Poverty invites us to possess without being possessed, to keep a certain distance from things, without considering them too much our own.
• Thinking before buying, without being carried away by the attraction of objects.

There are several possibilities:

• Not buying superfluous things. If it is superfluous, why does one want it? Because there is something in the object that attracts, inviting one to possess it even if it is useless and costly. Perhaps it is not necessary to have the latest model or the most luxurious one.
• Taking care of things. Ensuring that they last and are kept in good condition, thereby avoiding the costs of purchases and repairs. This includes also taking care of other people's things and public property. For example, not writing on walls or littering the streets.
• Turning off taps, switching off lights, etc., avoiding unnecessary expense. This and the above can be included more properly under the virtue of austerity.