The Blessed Poor
How can poor people be richer than rich people? By not having what keeps rich people poor.
An African farmer hoes his field with a machete, lives in a mud hut, and is happy for two meals a day. In fact I could argue that in some ways he’s better off than a lot of people in other countries who own mansions and luxury cars.
A Gallup poll questioned thousands of people in 132 nations (yes, one hundred and thirty two). Out of all the data, researchers are finding that people in poor countries generally sense a greater meaning in life than people in wealthy countries.
And they say the biggest reason the poor have more meaning in life is religious belief.
When people experience extreme hardship, religion plays a critical role in helping them make sense of life.
I’ll add that they’re also not caught up in the cycles of materialism.
And they’re free of the false pride and sense of independence from God that accompanies wealth.
I’m not saying the poor live enviable lives. It’s precisely because they don’t that they have such spirit and meaning. Now that’s enviable.
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Photo credit: heathermanes.com
I agree 100%. The poor have an innocence that the rich and the educated lack. So called rich and wise people call it ignorance or illiteracy and yet the poor are happier than the so called rich. In the country where I come from, religion is important and until a few years back religion was a mandatory field in school application forms. The vast majority of people are still religious (but not Christians), and the fear of God has led to moral goodness. However, that has changed. And in the recent times, the rich and educated geniuses have started denying the existence of God. The result? A gradually decaying society that is heading for destruction by denying the Maker and any taking up any kind of moral responsibility. The poor are definitely richer in faith and meaning for life.