Voluntary Poverty

Poverty is usually seen as an involuntarily problem, an economic, structural, and social condition that is undesirable and, for any number of reasons, often forced upon someone against their will. It is accepted that no one normally wants to live in poverty. However, there are rational persons who willingly choose to be poor. Their voluntary poverty might be a condition in which a person opts to live in order to reach a moral or spiritual state.

Voluntary poverty can be seen as something positive, such as a harvest of virtue or an instrument for moral growth. The concept of voluntary poverty evaluates poverty through a religious or political meaning, in which poverty is moral rather than economic. The voluntary poor feel spiritually indifferent to earthly goods. ...