Today's Meditation:

While I haven't grown up in abject poverty, I also have never experienced wealth and riches, except on a relative level.  Compared to most of the people on this planet, as a matter of fact, the life that I've led has been wealthy beyond measure.  But relative to the other people in my own society, I've always lived closer to poverty than to wealth.  And that's okay by me.

I would not say that poverty in itself is beneficial to us.  Many people in poverty spend their lives with feelings of resentment, anger, and frustration, tending to blame others for their situations.  But poverty in any form--not just monetary--can definitely help us to learn to appreciate anything that we may have, from the car in the driveway to the food on the table.  I'm often surprised at how grateful I feel when I'm in the supermarket and I'm able to buy whatever we need for the week without counting pennies--it's an amazing feeling, and one that I never would have had if I had not gone through plenty of times of having nothing at all.

There are things in life that it's a bit surprising to be thankful for.  But people who have been in prison often have a great appreciation for freedom when they get it.  When I got out of the Army, I truly valued my freedom not to have to put on a uniform each morning.  Someone who's lived in a terrible home has learned the value of home.

Certain things in life that we see as deprivation actually are opportunities for us to learn value.  You may be going through some trials right now, but those trials can help us to learn the value of appreciation in our lives.  When we appreciate, our view of life grows brighter and our attitudes and character stronger.  

Questions to consider:
 
What important lessons have you learned in life from adversity?
 
Is it as easy to learn when we have everything we need as it is when we have some very specific needs?
 
How can negative aspects of our lives sometimes end up being positive to us?

For further thought:

I know how bad a thing it is to be a slave and I know how terrible it was but I don't believe that there's a free person in the whole world that knows how good a cup full of water can taste.  Because you have to be a deprived slave, to be kept waiting for your water like we were to really appreciate how good just one swallow can be.  When we finally got a drop on our tongues it was like something straight from the hands of the Almighty.

Walter Mosley
from his novel 47

more thoughts and ideas on poverty

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