As I touched on in a recent blog life is about people not things, relationships rather than accumulation.
So the next question to ask is;
"How much is too much?"I am willing to bet that many Waukesha residents have closets filled with clothes, some of which have been rarely worn. I am also willing to bet that most people must have their $4.00 cup of coffee before their day starts to look brighter (especially Monday).
Something we as Americans, myself included, cannot comprehend is the proverbial "stuff-free" lifestyle especially in Waukesha county.
Sure as students enter the college doors they are forced to make due with less money than they are accustomed to and after graduation it is a hard road to pay off the debt from 4 or more years of higher education. But honestly when I hear those complaints about how expensive education is and how little money there is left for the hard working people I get a little ticked off.
Consider your investments and the things that we as Americans are blessed with in our great nation before you let a complaint slip out!
Shelter- we as Americans are blessed with homes that keep us dry and keep the wind off us during the cold months. Even most apartments though they seem small to us would be considered a palace by Africa's standards
Education-we as Americans have the benefits of quality education that will lead us to pretty much any career field we should choose and for the most part a profitable career
Steady income- Whether you are salary or hourly the American worker is valued more than 5 Chinese factory workers and you do not have to worry about a corrupt government confiscating your earnings for no reason
Transportation- Imagine not having your own car, or a cheap and affordable bus system but rather having to walk miles to a job where you would get paid significantly less than you earn now
Stability- In this country we do not have to worry about plague, famine, civil war, or public sanitation (for the most part). Thank God!
Health care- Yes even our health care system that is in major need of overhaul offers quality services and is accessible to almost everyone!
The list could continue on but these are everyday things that most of us take for granted, primarily due to the fact that we have not had to deal with true hardship.
I would love to see our fiscal conservative friends, who complain about not having enough wealth, go for multiple days without a meal as many in less fortunate countries are having to do.
Proverbs 28:6 stood out to me as Senior Pastor Mel Lawrenz (Elmbrook Church) did his lesson on finances a week ago today.
It states;
"Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways."
~Proverbs 28:6 (ESV)In this country we have so much to be grateful for and yet all we are learning to do from young on is to lust for what we have not yet attained.
It is a sad state to be in when all Americans are interested in is consumerism, money and buying that new game system for Christmas...
We have become lazy in our society in fact I probably couldn't count the number of "Get rich quick" books or strategies that have been sold to us with our weak materialistic minds.
Another interesting quote from Henry David Thoreau;
It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.
~Thoreau
And this is what has happened our culture that values things now puts them above the well-being of others.
The newest in the series of reality t.v. shows is titled "Moment of Truth" and features probably the lamest plot lines of every reality t.v. show I have ever seen... here is the idea;
As the contestant on this show you are subjected to a lie detector test of 21 extremely personal questions such as "Is there a part of your husband's body that repulses you?" and so on and so forth. If you answer these questions truthfully you can win up to $500,000!
Sick.As Matthew Gilbert of "Globe" staff writes in a review;
"Can you handle the personal stakes, which involve hurting and alienating your nearest and dearest and ruining your professional credibility, all because you want to make a few quick bucks?"Source: http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2008/01/25/is_truth_worth_the_humiliation/
It is time to stop living for instant gratification and start living for someone who is outside your own personal sphere. If you took a look at your life right now the past things you have done, the present things you are doing and where you are headed with your life for the future would you be happy with yourself? Would you be proud of yourself as the host of a t.v. show that wrecks people's credibility...or would it be more worthwhile to dedicate yourself to helping couples council and put together broken relationships?
I hope that despite all of our shortcomings due to the enormous wealth we have attained and safety that we retain in this nation that it is not too late to put our country back on the right track.
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."~Abraham Lincoln
