Poverty, what science has to say
Thank God there’s cable TV. I kind of imagine a home without it. For some people, cable TV adds up to the litany of bills that one pays every month. In my case, it’s a great money-saver. The first time we had cable in the house was some 15 years back – that slowly killed my appetite for movies. In fact, last month, as far as I can recall, was probably my fourth or fifth to have stepped afoot a movie house in decades. If it were not for my curiosity and prodding of my kids, I would have stayed home and watch Nat Geo or Discovery.
But no regrets, “Lucy” was fun and worth our time. I didn’t expect that Morgan Freeman was there as I was really supposed to just sit and watch the sci-fi stuff they told me about. And speaking of Morgan Freeman, he's just lovable not only for his superb acting, but also as a narrator. I spend most of my cable time lately watching “Through the Wormhole” a science documentary on Discovery Channel which Freeman hosts along with his signature voice that’s soothingly clear and commanding. Through the Wormhole, to its producers, combines “the Rockstars of Science and the superstars of pop culture.” Through the Wormhole is also an Emmy-nominated hit series which endeavors to find answers, from the lens of science, many of the most fundamental yet difficult questions that have bugged humans since time.
Now on its fifth season, the third episode tackles the question, “Is poverty genetic?” If fatalists would have it, poverty is an inescapable fact of life that each generation must come to terms with. Some had to be born poor and that their fate is sealed to live this way. In this series, neuroscientists made a startling discovery that “there are physical differences between the brains of the rich and the poor” says Martha Farah, director of the Center for Neuroscience and Society at the University of Pennsylvania.
After scanning the brain architecture of hundreds of children from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds, they found out that “Growing up in extreme poverty slows the growth of the hippocampus, which is important for learning, memory, and stress regulation, and it also shrinks the prefrontal cortex, which helps coordinate memory, perception, and motor control. Rich kids tend to have a thicker cortex than poor kids, but it is crucial to note the rich and poor aren't born with these differences. The brains of the poor start off the same as anyone else's. Their brains are, however, at greater risk of developing slowly in early childhood. It is not genetics that does the damage. It is lack of mental stimulation and the stresses of poverty.” according to their research.
Poverty or inequity is part of our socio-economic fiber which was invented by man a long time ago. Inequity thrives because there are people who benefit from it. It is unfortunate that only a few benefit from such inequity and yet only this very few possess the greatest resource to prevent anyone from changing their rules.
“The richest 85 people on this planet have as much money as the poorest 3.5 billion” says Jennifer Jacquet professor of environmental studies at New York University. It's called the tragedy of the commons, which Jacquet says, "is now a global tragedy, a tragedy that is being accelerated by the selfishness of the super rich.”
While the series concludes that poverty is “a mixture of biology, psychology, and mathematics playing out over lifetimes and across the sweep of human history.” Morgan Freeman wraps up by saying, “I am living proof that poverty is not genetic. I've lived on both sides of the divide between rich and poor. The forces that distribute wealth among us are complicated. If we can understand those forces, I hope we can someday lessen the devastation of poverty and allow each of us to reach our full potential.”
After what has been said, let me just say that poverty is the worst inheritance any man can get, but you can choose to get out of it while you can, or else, live and die with it.
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