Here I Go Again

I have obsessive/compulsive disorder. When I get something on my mind I can't rest until I come to a complete resolution. That's why I'm going to write about money again.

I live is a very nice neighborhood. Everyone has at least two cars. Their lawns are perfectly manicured. Their kids are dressed quite well. I'm definitely in the wrong place.

Our landscaping is pretty poor, to say the least. It's required in our community to have your house properly landscaped. We try to keep up with it, but the weeds are winning.

I don't care.

Our back deck shows signs that people actually live in my house. Until recently we had a broken metal table outside with an umbrella (the umbrella is safely in the garage). The glass on the table shattered when the rusted joints on the legs gave way. It's been there for a year.

I don't care.

A friend of my son's proclaimed several weeks ago that 'my mom doesn't buy me anything'. I looked him full in the face and said, "What did you just say?"

"Well, she's always buying shoes and clothes for herself."

This woman is a dear friend of mine. She always looks nice and they can afford to have nice things. The boy doesn't want for anything. Unfortunately this seems to be the norm these days.

Just the other day I had my kids in the car. We were talking about how to manage money (my idea) and they said that they can't understand why others in the neighborhood have pools or every video game ever invented. They weren't complaining. I guess they were just questioning why people make the choices they do.

I explained to them how we take so much for granted. We have warm homes and plenty of food. Our clothes are not tattered.

"Did you know", I explained, "that some people in other countries live in cardboard boxes? They have no running water and they go hungry most of the time. I saw a picture last week of a child who used a plastic bag for a blanket."

They were incredulous but it didn't take long for them to forget the plight of others.

I watched a television program a few years ago about a typical family from New Jersey. They had two children; a preteen girl and a 10 year old boy. All their lives they were given everything they wanted. It got to the point where they complained if they didn't have the latest thing like their friends. Their parents had enough.

They took their children on a trip to Africa. They didn't stay in a nice hotel in a large city; rather, they took a 10 hour truck ride to a small village. Of course the kids were totally disgusted. They started crying and demanded to go home when they saw the living conditions. The people had to provide their own food and clothing with the resources that were available. The work ethic in that village was strong since their survival depended upon it.

The parents must have spoken to someone in the village to let them know that they were there to be contributing members in the community. The children had to work every day at tasks that were less than pleasant. They had to help clean the animals that were killed for food. They had to get water from a faraway resource. The list went on and on. They were disgusted that they were forced to do such tasks.

But slowly things changed. The kids learned to fall asleep early in order to get up and start their work. They noticed that EVERYONE was working hard. They realized that what they were doing contributed to everyone's survival.

The most amazing thing to them was how the people enjoyed themselves after their work was done. The smaller children played with sticks they found. The adults sang and danced in the evenings. They included the family in all their celebrations.

When their time was over the children were inconsolable. They had learned how to work and play hard. They realized that they weren't entitled to anything; it had to be earned. They didn't want to leave these incredible friends they had made. In the last part of the show it showed the family getting back on the truck to begin the 10 hour journey back to the airport. Even in the airplane they couldn't stop crying. The people in Africa were genuine. They knew how to maintain a successful community.

I suppose some could look at these people so far away in the middle of a desert and feel sorry for them. They have no modern conveniences. I don't feel sorry for them.

I envy them.