Living in our community, and seeing the myriad ways that communal standards seem to assume that all of its members have large amounts of disposable income, it is easy for a person to wonder “Why can everyone else afford all of this but I can’t?” This issue is exacerbated by our world of social media, which predominantly only shows the most positive aspects of people’s lives, completely lacking any kind of context. I believe that the current Project Ezrah campaign has shown us that the answer to the question is that many other members of our community also can not afford what seems to come so easily to some.
While the percentage of members of Bergen County that require assistance is staggering, one should not draw the conclusion that everyone else is fine. Many others struggle financially as well but have not hit the point that they need assistance. Dani Secemski’s letter to the editor (“Project Ezrah Makes All the Difference,” October 2, 2024) described very poignantly the reality that so many face. Of course,we should support such an important institution as Project Ezrah. As well, people who have been blessed with material success should enjoy those blessings. However, as a community, I believe that we must do more to ensure that people do not feel pressure to live beyond their financial means in order to keep up. There are many, many ways we can all be more sensitive to this issue.
