There is an interconnection to the environment that we congregate and live in, in conjunction with the type of life and the type of person that we become. That is to say, those who live in dysfunctional cities with a poor infrastructure are typically not going to be the type of people who are going to become outstanding citizens, because the infrastructure and the people that they associate with don’t have those qualities. On the other hand, when we look at those enclaves of money, success, and sound infrastructure, the denizens of those privileged enough to live there are going to, more often than not, have a superior and quite satisfying outcome. This clearly indicates that the environment that we live in, and that which surrounds us in our everyday activities, plays an outsized role in how our lives will thus turn out.
This would seem to state that if we truly want to make for a more inclusive community and for a society which encourages betterment, that we need to do a better job in making sure that communities have the necessary infrastructure and tools to become bastions of success, especially by investing in those communities that lack those accouterments of such success. To believe, somehow, that the average person can overcome their inherent disadvantages and thereby to become something of merit, is to read the tea leaves wrong. No doubt, those of strong character and good morals can overcome their disadvantages, but the few that do so are the exception to the rule, which we must therefore take into fair account.
Again, what we are and what we become has a fair amount to do with not just our parenting, but what surrounds us and what we have to deal with, day by day. This signifies that every community, at a minimum, needs to have some sort of positive attribute within that community, such as an outstanding school or a vibrant community center, along with having various people who live and work within that community who represent positive ideals and a life of exemplary purpose.
It is difficult for anybody to rise above the circumstances of their community when all they see around them are negative things, of violence, injustice, unfairness, as well as the lack of opportunity. That is why more needs to be done to provide a fair chance to as many people as possible, to upgrade their circumstances, which thus means we need self-sustaining communities that provide not only a sanctuary for those that live there, but positive vibrancy for the community members to believe in.
The mistake that the United States government makes is far too often to close its eyes to the reality of what is really going on, and to sprout platitudes that aren’t going to do much of anything of merit. In this nation, many people live below the poverty line, which while bad enough, would not nearly be so bad, if they also had a reasonable pathway to get to where they could have the semblance of a satisfactory life, by virtue of having fair access to that which makes for a better and a more fulfilling life