But, on
the other hand, it is nice to enjoy a comfortable home, good good to eat, a nice
car to drive, education, health care and the many other benefits many of us in
North America take for granted.
Today, I
invite you to take a fresh look at what you already have. Perhaps doing so will
for a minute or two give you a new appreciation of the abundance that surrounds
us.
In fact,
I would like to ask you to consider today that we are truly among the most
blessed and privileged people that the world has ever known.
You
may be thinking "Are
you kidding, John? Rich and privileged on my income? With what
is going on in today's economy? Just take a
look at the year and condition of my car(s) and my rent and bills or take a look
into my savings accounts? Or at what had happened to my 401K in the last months?
Paycheck to paycheck is how I live. Then tell me how rich and privileged I am."
Okay.
I will. But first why not join me in taking a look at our lifestyles, not from the way
we usually think of them as members in good standing of the world’s most prosperous society,
but as most of the world views us.
Wealth is all Relative.
But Relative to Whom?
The
average American is feeling insecure and deprived these days. This is because we
are compare our situation today to the way things used to be. Or it is because we compare our lives to the lifestyles of
the rich and famous. This includes
the Wall Street crowd, dot.com moguls, superstars, sports figures, our more
prosperous neighbors as well as make believe people in the television shows and
movies we watch. As a result, we suffer from a skewed
perception about what it means to be poor or rich. Much of the time we are in
the habit of focusing on what we don't have rather than on an appreciation of
what we do.
Consider for a moment what
living at the official US Poverty rate is like. I found a website that walks you
through budgeting for a family of 4 on roughly $18,000 annually. Take a look for
a moment and compare it to your life. Click below:
Yet the truth is that from a
global point of view even the family scraping by in poverty by US standards is well off compared to the
vast majority of the world’s population.
Like
to feel better about your economic life? You might start by asking yourself this
Thanksgiving.
Do
I and my family have enough food to eat?
Is
my water drinkable (not polluted)?
Do
I
have adequate sanitation facilities?
Am
I sheltered from the elements?
Do
I
have access to medical care?
Am
I safe from harm from enemies?
Do
my children have
an opportunity to be educated?
If
your answers are "yes", then by world standards, you are doing just fine.
In a
sense, everything else
we enjoy on top of this is sheer abundance.
True the US official "poverty level" for a family of four is an income
of about $18,000 a year and many are forced to live on less than that. But in Zambia,
for example, an average family
currently lives on less than $400 a year. 45 families in Zambia living on an income we consider poverty
for a single US family.
The most
economically challenged among us can
usually afford an place to live. Our tap water is safe to drink. Even our least
privileged of us usually have clothes to wear and enough food to eat. Most of us
have appliances such as microwave ovens, refrigerators, electric or gas stoves,
a telephone and a television, even a dvd player and ipod. Every resident of the
US has access to free public libraries where
we can take out books, tapes and even works of art. Ambulances and fire-fighting
equipment are readily available when needed. All children receive a free,
public school education through 12th grade.There
are health programs like Medicaid, Medicare. And social security provides a
modest continuous lifetime retirement income.
You might
think appreciating what you have whether you compare yourself to US poverty or
global conditions is pollyanna thinking, especially since all of
us are motivated to improve our life style. And, as Americans we tend to believe
that hard work will pay off in the long run and we will better ourselves in the
future. It is almost like being satisfied
with what you have (thankful) is almost unAmerican.
What's more, economic life in this country of ours seems hardly fair these days.
We see executives of companies that lose billions of dollars continue to pay
themselves tens of millions in salaries and bonuses while our government
writes out virtually blank checks to them on our behalf for hundreds of
billions. Yet many of us not have gotten a real increase in salary for
close to a decade. And it is undeniable and shameful that there are people
working long hours at minimum wage yet still live below the official poverty line.
In fact, 10% of Rhode Island is currently unemployed. And, yes, there are people
in our community who need our support for shelter and nourishment.
Today's
USA may be far from paradise. But, as anyone who has traveled widely will likely
agree, there is a lot here for each of us for which to give thanks.
So, why not
take a moment to
push back from the Thanksgiving Day today and ask
yourself how
a typical person living in China, Ghana, Pakistan, Congo, India or Guyana would look at
how you live. Or even (corny as it may sound) take a moment to write out a
family gratitude list this year. You may be surprised at how wealthy you really
are.
By the
way, you might want to visit a few other sites today:
To schedule
your first hypnosis appointment or arrange a free 15-20 minute consultation to
see whether hypnosis is right for you, click the new client intake form link: New Hypnosis Client Intake Form
