by Garrett Anderson

Created on: November 04, 2009

The best things in life have nothing to do with money. They are not valued in a materialistic sense. Hunting with my father as a child, falling head over heels in love for the first time, having children and watching them struggle and turn into mature and productive adults. Walking my dog early in the morning, watching him stop and sniff the breeze and follow invisible trails that only he can detect. Catching fish on the lake, watching the sun set in a red glowing shroud. Snuggling up next to a fire when the night get clear and cold.

As I examine my life I discover the best moments in my life had very little to do with money. Yet, I can't deny that some of the things I value and enjoy, do require some money. But they don't require me to be rich. At least not by the definition of rich that I use.

To be rich, were I lucky enough to choose the right path, means that I must work hard and be preoccupied by earning money. I must be willing to ignore the journey, to do anything it takes, to achieve the end. That the end will justify the 60 and perhaps 80 hours a week of work year after year that it takes to become wealthy. To inherit wealth means that I would never understand the value of money or the inherent struggle that it takes to produce wealth. I would not understand the value of money or the work and the stress that it takes to create it.

To be poor, very poor, and to be preoccupied with survival perhaps without food or medical care would be horrible. If that were the definition of poor then of course I could not write here.

We examine extremes. Extreme wealth (rich) is a preoccupation of wanting, getting, and then wanting even more. It borders on gluttony. Extreme poverty is a preoccupation with simple survival. When we contrast those two extremes, we can hardly argue for the poor side yet born out of extreme poverty is a perspective that we rarely ever see. What does it feel like, smell like, to be born and raised in a dirt floor shelter, without running water, to survive that existence and thrive? To escape that existence to find a job, perhaps a small house, and even a used car. To know and feel humility and gratitude is to know something we rarely ever stop and think about. In fact, we are often so preoccupied with wanting and needing more, that we often feel entitled or deserving. Those material things that define our wealth become distractions. We spend time- earning and keeping them. Objects that enslave us and that we must care for and protect.

Somewhere in the middle, perhaps even on the poor side, is a happy medium. Extremes, whether rich or poor, have serious drawbacks. Survival at one end of the spectrum and coveting, wanting, and gluttony at the other. Wealth and material possessions will never define happiness. They are illusory. Those that covet material wealth are only kidding themselves. As they play the tape back near the ends of their lives, they see and understand what caused great joy and what did not. Most often, that has nothing to do with being rich.

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