We live in a hectic, crazy world. At times, it can be easy to get caught up in the rat race, thinking you need this or that to “keep up with the Joneses.”
That’s why it’s always refreshing to get an alternate perspective on what really matters in life. We’ve noticed that, when it comes to handing out heartwarming wisdom, there are two types of people who tend to be especially clear-eyed.
There are the older folks like this smart grandma, who have been through a few things in their time, and there are the innocent children, who see everything purely.
Recently, we stumbled on an old popular story that falls into the second category. Nobody knows exactly who wrote it down, but it’s been circulating for years, and it shows just how illuminating the eyes of a child can be.
Read on below to learn about the incredible perspective one boy had on what wealth and poverty really look like.
One day, a very wealthy father took his son on a trip to the country for the sole purpose of showing his son how it was to be poor.
They spent a few days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
After their return from the trip, the father asked his son how he liked the trip.
"It was great, Dad," the son replied.
"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
"We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
"We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
"Our patio reaches to the front 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."
The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "It showed me just how poor we really are."
Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don't have.
What is one person's worthless object is another's prized possession.
It is all based on one's perspective.
Sometimes, it takes the perspective of a child to remind us what's important.
Do you agree with this smart young man and his wise perspective?
Please SHARE with anyone who knows that real wealth isn't money; it's friends, family, and freedom!
