Broke or Poor?

Here is a topic I have thought a lot about, are you POOR or BROKE?

When someone who lives in Southern California, drives a relatively nice car, clean clothes and a roof over their head, I say, they fell into a financial challenge and they are broke. 

But, when you are living out of a car, a tent or card board boxes, and all you have ever know is hunger and need, I would say that is poor.

Not long ago, a gal I know referred to herself as POOR, and tried to put me in that group.  I was not going to take it, I said, "We are not poor, we are financially challenged"  Poor is not either of us and yes, I understand that it is just semantics, but there is also a culture that goes along with being poor.  

I guess I was raised by a proud single mom who struggled at putting food on the table and she did a fine job at it.  We were not poor during that time, we were financially challenged, Broke!  

Yes, I am financially challenged, but I am not POOR.  Right now, I am BROKE but due to my skill set, that will not last long.  I am challenged but I know I will pull out of this.  If I were POOR I would not expect to pull out of this, I would expect this to be an ongoing thing.. the struggle would be never ending.

I found these two definitions...   You can see the destitute of being POOR.  The language is different.  Poverty under BROKE, but poverty stricken under POOR.  

In today's economy, there are a lot of BROKE people, and yes, there are POOR as well, but my guess is that the BROKE were never POOR.

I pray for the POOR people of society, I see them everywhere.  But for those of us who are BROKE, I pray wisdom on our choices and on our decisions with our future.  

I do know BROKE to one person is not the same to another.  But either way, I am grateful that I am not POOR, I am just financially challenged...working my way back from being BROKE.  I know there are a bunch of us out there...  Be thankful...

broke
brōk/
  1. 1
    past (and archaic past participle) of break1.
  2. .
adjective
informal
  1. 1.
    having completely run out of money.
    "many farmers went broke"
    synonyms:penniless, moneyless, bankrupt, insolvent, ruined, down-and-out,without a penny to one's name, without a cent, without one red cent,without two pennies to rub together;
    poor, poverty-stricken, impoverished, impecunious, penurious, indigent,in penury, needy, destitute; 
    informalcleaned out, flat broke, strapped (for cash), bust, busted, hard up, stone broke, as poor as a church mouse
    "have you so easily forgotten what it's like to be broke?"

poor
po͝or,pôr/
adjective
  1. 1.
    lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society.
    "people who were too poor to afford a telephone"
    synonyms:poverty-stricken, penniless, moneyless, impoverished, low-income,necessitous, impecunious, indigent, needy, destitute, pauperized,unable to make ends meet, without a sou; More
  2. 2.
    worse than is usual, expected, or desirable; of a low or inferior standard or quality.
    "her work was poor"

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