Perception from the eyes of a child about the poor

One day a father and  his rich family took their young son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor some people can be.

They spent a day and a night on the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "Very good, Dad!" the son replied.

"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.

"Yeah!"

"And what did you learn?"

The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden, and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden, and they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard, and  they have the whole horizon."

When the little boy was finished, his father  was speechless.

His son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are!"

Isn't it true that it all depends on the way you look at things? If you have love, friends, family, health, good humor, and a positive attitude toward life, you've got everything! You can't buy any of these things.

You can have all the material possessions you can imagine, provisions for the  future, etc., but if you are poor of spirit, you have nothing.

Special thanks to Brian C. Bergström for this submission
July 1999

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