Why do people often say to stay away from the poor? In fact, they are referring to staying away from people, things, environments, and mindsets that are stuck in a long-term poverty mentality.

First, being poor is not about lacking money, but about having a "poverty mindset." They complain constantly, refuse to take responsibility for results, fear change, and despite feeling pain, prefer to maintain the status quo. They resent successful people, focus on short-term gains, only see immediate profits and losses, and do not engage in long-term accumulation.

Second, poverty-related issues are low-value, repetitive, and lack compound interest. They work multiple jobs but never upgrade their skills. They spend大量时间精力 for small gains, indulge in meaningless socializing, gossip, internal conflicts, and arguments over right and wrong. They are busy but not accumulating. What feels fulfilling in the short term almost never changes their fate in the long run.

Third, impoverished possessions are things that occupy attention but do not generate value. It’s not that you can’t enjoy them, but rather: buying things just to show off or for emotional compensation, high-debt consumption (borrowing from the future for present pleasure), and items or content that distract, addict, or cause loss of control. Truly valuable resources are not money, but attention, energy, time, and emotional stability.

Fourth, a poor environment is a place that normalizes failure. The danger of environment is that you become assimilated without realizing it. For example: everyone thinks “it’s okay to just get by,” mock effort, learning, and self-improvement, and see “accepting fate” as maturity. This constantly reinforces “you’re not capable, useless, don’t bother.” Long-term exposure to such an environment causes ambitions to shrink and actions to be humiliated to death.

Most deadly: a poverty mindset is believing you will never get your turn, instinctively rejecting opportunities. Thinking about change causes anxiety and procrastination. They prefer to stay safely poor rather than risk being rich. This is the true inheritance of “intergenerational poverty.”