The Prince and the Paupers

Quote

“My guiding principles in life are to be honest, genuine, thoughtful and caring.”  Prince William

News

This week the London Evening Standard is running a series of articles on poverty in Britain’s capital – eliciting a large response from readers, politicians and celebrities - including Prince William.  Predictably, feedback on the newspaper’s website ranged from people whose heart strings had been tugged, to others insisting poverty is mostly self-inflicted, and still more who told how their family had worked really hard to lift themselves out of poverty.  A frequent refrain in their responses was to blame someone.  Many culprits stand accused: government policies, bureaucratic local councils, laziness, a distorted welfare system, greed and hard-heartedness… the list goes on.

However, Prince William offered a more considered response.  “It is up to us, not just politicians and charities, to answer this challenge — wherever, whenever and in whatever way, small or large, we feel we can.”  Just before Christmas, he joined the director of Centrepoint, a homeless charity he supports, in sleeping rough for a night under Blackfriars bridge.  Afterwards he commented, “I hope that by deepening my understanding of the issue, I can help do my bit to help the most vulnerable on our streets.”

Responding to poverty relationally begins with choosing to do something that will reduce the gap between us and people much poorer than ourselves.  William’s mother, Princess Diana, was a superb example – listening, touching, empathising with some of the world’s neediest people, and in so doing, honouring the inherent dignity of each person and offering a moment of true relational support.

Read on...

Another journalist for a London weekly was deeply concerned about the plight of the poor in the city; as a writer and social campaigner he sought to highlight the living and working conditions of children especially.  His name was Charles Dickens, and I have selected one of his famous sketches for you to read, entitled The Drunkard’s Death, as a glimpse into the harsh reality of London’s poor 150 years ago.  Read it here: www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/lit/charlesdickens/SketchesbyBoz/chap58.html

Walk the talk 

The responses from Evening Standard readers show our propensity for judging others – based on a minimum of facts.  With another month of Lent to run before Easter, how about giving up the habit of passing judgment?  Next time you are inclined in your heart to condemn another person in some way, decide instead to do something to understand their plight a little better.

The last word

From the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible (Luke 10, 33-35): “But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' “