just as Mt. Everest searches for a break in the clouds

Because it is the quiet morning time, I can think more clearly and be more poetic (hence, the title of this post). (Also, I have recently been inspired by my friend, Landon, to be more descriptive in my writing.) But let me turn that poetry into substance: just as Mt. Everest searches for a break in the clouds, I am searching for a break in the "usual" thoughts about poverty. This morning I came close to one. I was studying "prosper" and "prosperity" in the Book of Mormon, but before I got too far, I realized I needed a clearer definition of "prosper." After a number of searches, I established a definition that includes fuzziness (ie., not clear) but may be a bit more in focus than before. Poverty is more than just wealth; it is stability, security, development, growth, and thriving. So wealth is just one (albeit a substantial one) indication of prosperity.

Now, for a paradigm shift: we are helping people focus on getting more wealth to get out of poverty, but microcredit has shown that even as you encourage entrepreneurs, if they are not connected to a thriving market, the stagnation continues. (I personally observed this in some rural communities in Mexico.) So, perhaps we should concern ourselves with movement of resources, rather than gain in wealth. ERGO, help those rural communities increase their own "prosperity," in every sense of the word, before jumping onto the microcredit bandwagon. My next studies should include specific ideas about how to accomplish such a goal.