The Rich man who took his son to a slum

One day, just like any other day, a wealthy man took his son on a trip to the country. He wanted to show his son how poor people live and what it actually means to be poor. They found a family with a farm, a very poor family and spend a few nights with them. When they returned home the father asked his how he liked the journey.

They spend a couple of days there and lived on a farm of what would be viewed as poor family.

When they returned from the trip the father asked the son whether he liked it. The son said that the trip was great! When he was asked did he see how poor people can be, the son gave a positive reply.

When the father asked what lesson could be drawn from the trip, the son said:

“I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.” The boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, “It showed me how poor we are.”

This story serves to remind us about the true value of things in life. It serves to remind us on how too many times we focus on the material side of things, failing to see what truly matters in life. And we can’t understand that it’s all about how we see things in life, it all depends on our perspective. What is one person’s worthless object is another’s prize possession. It all depends on our perspective.

We should be thankful for the things we have and not be jealous for the things other have. The better we understand this the better persons we become. And that’s the most important thing in life!