This is a quote that created some kind of negative feedback. Allow me to explain.

This quote comes from the book, "The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles." The author is very "no holds barred" when talking about certain subjects because he wants to make sure people understand what he's talking about. This is why people will either agree with this quote or they will say that the quote is absolute nonsense.

Reading through the book, my brother decided to share the quote on his social media. As I expected, my brother received mainly negative feedback about the quote with comments such as, "How can the poor eat with inspiration?" and that he shouldn't have that kind of mindset. I understand why people may have both positive and negative comments about this quote, but I want to provide my own thoughts.

I understand that it may cause some controversy, but I admit that I agree with the quote. It really goes back to the more commonly known quote, "give a man a fish and he eats for the day, teach a man how to fish and he eats for the rest of his life." The charity mentioned in the quote is meant to help the person in poverty. But if you provide them with aid over an extended period of time and they become dependent on that aid, are you actually helping them? Of course, we should all help people that are in need. There are people out there that need someone to give them a helping hand so that they can get back on their feet and start walking again. If you provide someone with money, food, or shelter in that moment, yes they will be very happy and yes you will be helping them. But it doesn't actually solve their long-term problem. Because of this, they will just wait for the next person to give them money, food, and shelter. This will just continue the dreaded cycle.

I am not saying that we shouldn't give people charity. What I will say though is that we should provide people in need with mentorship and inspiration in addition to the charity. The whole purpose of charity should be so that a person will eventually not need it. People who are in need of charity should receive that aid, but they should also be provided with the opportunity to improve their skillset so that they will eventually be able to walk and run on their own two feet.

Charity shouldn't be a long-term thing. In my opinion, charity is only a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Mentorship, motivation, and yes, inspiration are needed in addition to the charity in order to truly bring people out of poverty. Isn't that the whole point after all? I do get satisfaction by helping someone in need. But I will get much more satisfaction by helping someone completely walk away from poverty and into a better way of life.