One day a rich father took his son on a journey to the country with the firm purpose of showing him how poor people can be. They spent a day and a night on the farm of a very impoverished family.
When they got back, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”
“Very good, Dad!”
“Did you see how these people live?” the father asked.
“Yeah!”
“And what did you learn?”
The son answered, “I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden, they have a creek that has no end.We have imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon.”
When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless.
His son added, “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how rich they are!”
Source [Slightly adapted]
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
That story reminds me of my early childhood summers in the west of Ireland. The kids used to run around with no shoes on. They were some of the happiest days of my life.
Simon,
Really? I always thought the shoeless thing was a myth.
Paul
I was only there in the summer so I assume they wore shoes in the winter. It was absolutely no myth in the summer and I have got some photos of my cousins, in what can only really be described as rags, with the biggest of smiles on their faces. In retrospect, I am guessing that the majority of people were so poor that they kept their shoes for the winter and sunday best.
It really was a different time. If you went to the shops with any currency (punts, sterling or dollars) the shop keepers would accept them. I know exchange rates were pegged back then but the mental arithmetic of those shop keepers was something to behold
In fact I still have the first US dollar I was ever given from my uncle for my birthday with the date written on it.
Wisdom unfiltered through the lens of incarnation, not the lens of materialism. Brilliant.
Fran,
You always manage to see more deeply into these stories than I do.
Paul
The wisdom of children is so great. The child perceived the experience very differently and thanked his father. Perception and gratitude can change our lives in a very real way.
Lynda,
“Perception and gratitude can change our lives in a very real way.” Absolutely. Reminds me of that Groucho Marx quote about how we alone can choose whether to be miserable or happy.
Paul
A very lovely story. May everyone of our children see the world this way… May I see the world this way.
Thank you for the sudden lightness of being
Claire,
I have never been thanked for something like that before. I suddenly feel lighter myself!
Paul
This reminds me of a reflection Barbara Brown Taylor published years ago. She had taken a youth group to do some work in the Appalachian countryside; the young people there were stunned to discover that their lives, rich in nature and love, were considered by the city kids to be lacking.
Robin,
Yes. And didn’t Mother Teresa believe that those of us living in the wealthiest countries were among the most truly impoverished?
Paul
While there is something to be said about apreciating the simple wonders of life. I think we must be careful not to romanticize poverty which is an all too real and growing problem in our country.
I agree there is nothing romantic about poverty. However, I do think there is a difference between want and need. Too often, we fail to see that difference.
agreed
on a random note how appropriate that the quote next to your entry today said…
God wants his temple built of love, but men bring stones.
— Rabindranath Tagore
especially as news arrives from the middle east of hated and violence being sparked by various interpretations of who God and his prophets are.
Poverty of spirit or poverty of possessions? Would I, lacking material possessions, worrying about making ends meet rather be comforting myself with netfliks or geese flying overhead? Lacking means, would I choose to sit looking at a pool or a pond where frogs and fish jump? On a spring morning would I choose to be comforted by lambs and kids newly born jumping in play or comforted by my “stuff”? Would I choose to pray within the confines of four walls in the evening or in the presence of a sky the color of pink and blue baby blankets with old growth oak silhouetted in the fading light of day? If I have no means to pay for the sports clubs and organized lessons for my children, would I choose to work extra hours to provide those or would I take my children for a walk through a meadow or down a deserted country lane to explore the bounty of nature? Do I choose the path of most and struggle to maintain or the seeming “poverty” of less? Do I feed my family with microwave dishes as I struggle to balance my time between family and work, or do I take them to the orchard to pick apples and peaches and spend fall afternoons putting up fruit for the winter? Do I drive miles to Trader Joe’s and spend the money I’ve earned working those extra hours to provide wholesome foods for them or do I spend a few dollars on some packets of seed and take them to the garden and teach them how to grow their own food? I guess if the second choices are poverty, then poverty it shall be!
This is a really lovely reflection Emma – thank you. I hope that , as a new Mom, you continue to make the best choices you can for yourself and your little one to grow together in love and knowledge of each other and God. And remember that each Mom, each child will need to find their own path to that knowledge — some of them making decisions that are the not in line with your values, but may be just as good and right and holy for them as your choices are far you. I pray that you may continue to be a peacemaker, and never a combatant in the “Mommy Wars” that take place in so many communities. God bless!
“Mommy Wars”, now there’s an interesting phenomena! One that raises alot of questions. Is this more prevalent in western societies that are more focused on individualism and competition rather than community? Does it stem from a woman’s identification with her children as being part of herself, to the extent that she sees any challenge to them as a threat on her own life? or perhaps guilt at thinking she is forced to leave them for extended periods of time in the care of strangers, so that she can better provide the “good things” in life for them? and, how many women in third world countries whose sole purpose on a daily basis is that of keeping her children alive (and frequently failing) has time for such nonsense as “Mommy Wars”?
I’m slowly learning that being a peacemaker does not always bring one accolades and friends, but more frequently when one challenges the status quo, is met with protest. Most people don’t want to be roused from their slumber.
Excellent. Simplicity is rich indeed.