We are all prone to complacency: when things are going well we do not want to hear the complaints of the poor and unfortunate.
It gives us an uncomfortable feeling to listen to a view of life that disturbs our calm. We find it easier to believe that the poor are responsible for their own follies. If they would work harder or be more disciplined then they would do OK. Their reasons for poverty sound like excuses.
So we bury our heads in the sand and try to ignore unpleasant truths. But beware: He that is too secure is not. It might be that at leased a proportion of the suffering really do have grievances that need to be addressed.
Your complacency might lead to your undoing. Better to deal with trouble half way rather than let it creep up and confront you with terrifying suddenness.
Proverbs store the wisdom of ages in short, memorable lines with several layers of meaning. This blog states a weekly proverb and explores its meaning. Sir Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister, war leader, writer, painter, historian, bon viveur, whose mother was a United States citizen, recommended that people lacking formal education to learn proverbs. "The Wisdom of Nations lies in their Proverbs... Collect and learn them". William Penn, founder of the State of Pennsylvania.
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