Parents spend a lot of their time trying to set good examples for their children and trying to teach them valuable lessons. Youngsters should feel comfortable turning to their parents for guidance and direction, but once in a while they may see things differently. Sometimes it is worth listening to their perspective … as hopefully you will see with this interesting example.
I am going to introduce you to a very successful man; we’ll call him Ben. He was quite successful and it was certainly visible. Everyone could see that he was wealthy, and certainly Ben himself knew it. He wore custom suits, lived with his family in a large mansion, and drove top-of-the-line imported cars. He felt a little overly proud of himself with all this wealth.
Ben and his wife had a son who seemed to ignore the family wealth. His father didn’t feel his son appreciated the kind of life he was giving him, so he set out to teach him something and sent him off to spend a day and night in the country visiting another family that he considered much less fortunate than his own. The boy would learn how ‘poorer people’ live and then he would be more grateful for the life his father was providing for him.
So the boy spent a day and a night “on the farm” living with this poor family. Upon the boy’s return, his father asked, “How was the trip?” The boy replied that he had enjoyed himself. Then Dad asked, “Do you see now how poor people live? What did you learn from this?”
The son answered, “I saw that we have a dog at home, and they had four! We have a pool that reaches to the edge of the garden, but they had a creek that had no end!” the boy replied … and continued, “We have imported lamps in the garden, but they had the stars above. Our patio reaches to the front yard, but they had a whole horizon! It was amazing!”
Ben stood there speechless – especially when the boy said, “Thanks for letting me see how poor we are.”
It seems the lesson this father had expected his son to learn had taken an about face. You see, wealth is not the best way to judge people. Don’t evaluate someone by the way they dress, their lifestyle, the kind of car they drive, etc. because that does not truly reflect their character. Sometimes the affluent stick their chests out and feel they are better than others because they have been successful financially. They often become overly proud of themselves and don’t hesitate to present that image – one of being of “upper class” status. However, as the saying goes … “Money doesn’t buy happiness”.
One can be PROUD of a job well done … of doing a job with no fanfare expected … nor expecting a pay raise or promotion. Doing a job well builds self-respect and confidence and does not rely on outside praise or recognition. We can also be proud of doing for others … or showing up for someone who needs help … or simply offering random acts of kindness. OR just do something kind for someone (free) and ask that they return the favor to someone else. This is a lesson children need to be taught, and it can’t be bought.
Quote of the Week: “The true measure of a person’s wealth is not the balance in their bank account, but the depth of their character and the purity of their heart.” ~ Anonymous Author
