My status as a military brat has taken me to many parts of the world that most will never see. Germany, Okinawa and a tour in Vietnam are among my stops in life after having been born in Japan during the Korean War. These places offer a glimpse into life in the slow lane where folks trace their origins to a simpler existence. Our pursuit of wealth in America has exposed people from all over the world to our driven obsession with wealth. There are over 8 billion people in the world today and we forget how fortunate we already are, beginning at our moment of birth.
If you live in a home that is heated and cooled replete with running fresh water, you have more than 75% of the world’s population.
Assuming you are able, if you can walk about freely with enough money in your pocket for a chilled drink and a snack, you have exceeded the expectations of 70% of the world’s population.
In 2023, America ranked 184 out of 193 countries in terms of child mortality, yet we are 7 out of 190 countries in income per capital. Are we pursuing wealth or health?
In America, despite tremendous advances in medicine we enjoy a declining longevity. The incredible variety of our food supply cuts both ways. We are paying a price for this over abundance with our days on earth. If your are healthy, able to go where you want or need to be, remember that a million human beings are living their last week on the face of the earth.
Wal-Mart, the world’s retail giant, is visited by 270 million customers each week. Sounds impressive but is it? That is less than 4% of the world’s population.
Have you paused for a moment in one of our fabulous food outlets (grocery stores) and wondered what it would be like for folks who have never seen such extravagance to have access to such convenience and variety? 80% of the worlds population will never see it.
Is there a point in life when you sit back and say to yourself that you are through acquiring wealth or material things? Our education system is wrapped around the pursuit and acquisition of wealth. When young people today choose a vocation or profession, the first consideration is material reward well beyond “making a living” or “improving the human condition”. My grandfather, a small farm owner in the rural south was the most contented man I have ever known. He worked hard, but did not aspire beyond the normal conveniences of the day. Every Sunday of his life, he thanked the Lord for what he had, the first blessing being never having to go to bed hungry, or cold or too hot.
The next time you are standing in a Sam’s Club or a Costco, where you can buy or order everything from an automobile to a casket, pause, close your eyes and thank the Lord for the extravagance we enjoy. Never take life for granted. If you make it until this time next week, praise the Master and thank him. One million human beings won’t be alive to do this…….
If you are here then…..that, friends, is wealth!
SR
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