Life in Perspective

LIFE IN PERSPECTIVE

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son
on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of
showing his son how poor people live. They spent a
couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be
considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his
son, “How was the trip?”

“It was great, Dad.”

“Did you see how poor people live?” 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. With this the boy’s
father was speechless.

Then his son added, “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how
poor we are.”

Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate
on what we don’t have. What is one’s person’s
worthless object is another’s prize possession. It is
all based on one’s perspective. Makes you wonder what
would happen if we all gave thanks for all the bounty
we have instead of worrying about wanting more. Take
joy and appreciate every single thing you have,
especially your friends.