Poor

Good Morning,

Some friends loaned us the movie/documentary "The Tibetan Book of The Dead" to watch over the weekend. As we watched with great interest and awe at the tibetan peoples resilience and amazing dedication, the subject of poverty came up. Looking in on a culture such as this one could consider them a poor people. We started to consider what poor means. Was this just our view, from our seat? Is this like asking a fish what wet feels like? I am not denying that there is poverty in the world and that people go hungry and do without basic needs such as water, health and heat, but to consider some one as poor simply because they do not possess our lifestyle seemed small minded at best.

In my efforts to understand my own questioning I began looking at it differently - I saw that we have a yard, they have a mountain range. We have pools that reach to the middle of our gardens and they have creeks with no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches the middle of the yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them. So I ask myself, who is really poor?

Having come from low paying jobs and a difficult background most of my life taught me many things, but not once did I ever consider myself poor. Being homeless and living in my car for a period of time would have seemed like the bottom of the barrel for many, but it was one of my richest most memorable experiences. So what's my point? I guess I just want to say that we all learn from our moments and places in life even if we do not se them as favorable or desirable. The ability to step out of the "make me comfortable" syndrome allows us to see the moments and the world in a different light, to find something of joy even when circumstances appear bleak. The amazing ability of the human spirit to recognize what we do have when the rest of the world sees nothing is our greatest assets, one we should ensure to pass on.

No one can tell whether he is rich or poor by turning to a bank account. It is the heart that makes us rich. You are rich or poor according to what you are, not according to what you have.

Enjoy your wealth!

Peace and Love, Jim