Treading Water

Ecclesiastes 12:9 "And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge..."

Poverty and oppression are problems that will never be solved.
If this is the case, Why even try?
For some, the simple answer is "hard work" and "tenacity" - but can these attributes be taught to a generation who has never had to practice either?
For others, the simple answer is "equal opportunity" - but what good is opportunity without volition?
Still others profess "prayer" as the answer - but isn't it said that, "Faith without works is dead"?
Many have posited "education" as the answer - but what type of education is best suited for people who will never use the knowledge being taught?
Some blame society, some genetics while others blame fate - yet still, the problems persist.

I'm sure anyone who reads this or other blogs has at least made an attempt at the eradication of these problems - but still they persist.
I'm sure everyone has; joined a group or organization, donated time and/or money, mentored, tutored or taught someone who just needed "one thing" to make their life better.
But has it made a difference?

Slaves could blame their lack of freedom.
Those born during Segregation could blame a state sponsored oppression.
Many today blame the media.
But even before and after these factors were present, the problems persist(ed).

Slaves were freed, Segregation abolished, and the government nurtured a Nanny State where it makes more sense (financially) to remain "poor" than it does to work - but still, none were the answer.
Is being oppressed the natural state of some men?
Is poverty the fate of others?
Is the lack of a formal education the expectation for some?
Is one group born to succeed and another to fail (with a few anomalous exceptions mixed in)?
Is their any use in even trying to make things better for a group of people whose priorities are more about survival than they are about thriving?

How much time, money and/or resources must be spent on those who always seem to misuse them?
How many lives should be spent trying to solve an unsolvable problem?
How much new housing should the government build if it is only destroyed by those it was intended to help?
How many programs should be created that have little or no impact on the overall problems?

If we keep doing the same things, shouldn't we expect the same results?
Q: Why do we even bother at all?
A: All of these attempts at solving these problems are just as though we were treading water in the middle of the ocean with sharks circling our feet.
Maybe we are just trying to keep some people alive long enough until a valid rescue is devised.
Maybe were are intuitively following the teachings of the preacher.