Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Challenge your perception of wealth and poverty. Find out how even the ‘poorest’ individuals can possess a wealth of generosity and compassion.
Money is only a tiny portion of the generosity you will experience when faced with a time of need.
Rich people may believe they are poor if they compare themselves to the next millionaire or billionaire on the block.
Everyone can believe they are living the poorest life because of debt and low income, depending on how they approach their situation.
This means that the poorest people could be the richest, which all boils down to perspective.
Don’t let the title fool you.
Empathy Comes Natural To Some People
A photo I found tonight of a boy who lives in poverty handing a photographer his second lollipop.
I was lost for words, staring at the young boy.
The child reached out to do this because he knows what it’s like to go without.
He understands that empty feeling and the meaning of sharing with others.
Sharing comes naturally to those who understand the circumstances.
A research study by a Ph.D. candidate at Berkeley, Paul Piff, showed that the rich and the low-income earners imagined themselves in opposite situations by viewing sympathy-inducing videos.
The results were that those people below the poverty level became less altruistic, and the rich became more generous.
“Empathy and compassion are the key ingredients in the generosity of the poor.”
We could easily say the same thing about people who believe they live in the worst financial situation, but their income is above average.
It’s not the money that makes us some of the poorest people.
It’s our attitude towards money, as Piff’s research study suggested.
Everyone has a theory about being poor and how easy it is to earn money when you need more.
Sadly, it’s not that easy; however, the kindness and generosity of others can make someone struggling to feel that much more empowered never to give up.
I consumed my thoughts as I wondered what this child’s life was like.
It makes you appreciate what you have when you think you don’t have enough.
In those few moments, I thought about all the time people have helped us without worry in the world.
They had no issue coming to our aid.
Don’t Apologize For Who You Are
Over the years, I’ve met people with different levels of financial success.
However, I don’t know what lurks inside their financial houses unless I know them personally and talk about money.
That means people can pretend to be the wealthiest person, the poorest person, or someone who is just getting by paying the bills.
Either way, it shouldn’t matter.
I’ve mentioned to all of you before that my wife and I don’t talk to our friends and family about our financial situation because we find it to be, well, too personal.
The last thing we want is people to judge us for what we have or don’t have.
Not everyone shares our feelings, meaning we have heard many stories.
We also know how many of our closest friends are suffering financially.
We’ve had friends who we’ve opened up to about money only to be taken advantage of because they would say, “Oh come, it’s not like you don’t have money in the bank” when they wanted us to lend them cash or do something we can’t afford to do.
When we do things, we do them because we want to, we can afford to, and no one is pressuring us into feeling guilty if we don’t.
The Poorest People Understand
One of my wife’s friends is about the poorest from a financial perspective, which she knows.
She has no savings in the bank, no retirement savings, nothing as life didn’t go as planned.
Many people can relate to situations that cleared them out of savings.
She doesn’t even own a home because she cannot afford the down payment.
She’s been bankrupt a few times, trying to juggle jobs and bills.
From a poverty perspective, she’s living it, but she doesn’t complain about it.
She works hard to make extra money; most of the time, you’ll see her give back when she doesn’t have much.
Finding Employment At Age 50
Right now, she is not working because she was laid off and is struggling to find a job that suits her strengths and abilities.
It’s not easy to find work once you hit 50 years old, but she has no choice but to continue looking.
In the meantime, when she visits, she always brings free stuff she’s picked up for our son to see him smile.
The worst part is when she apologizes for not having money to buy new stuff or offer more for a birthday gift.
Everything she buys for herself and her home comes from a second-hand shop, free or handed down to her.
She always puts others’ needs above hers and dives in like a lion when determined.
Related: Is shopping at the second-hand shop worth it?
Interestingly, she could have quickly taken the free stuff she passed on to everyone and sold it for profit.
Every mom knows that baby and toddler products will sell, sometimes for lucrative prices.
This woman donates to the food bank when her cupboards are practically bare,
She goes out of her way to help others even if she doesn’t have the means to support herself.
We envy her motivation and know that sometimes, the poorest people have the most generous hearts.
Related: Why you don’t have to be budget-poor to live a frugal life
Never Leaves Empty-Handed
Whenever she visits, we always make sure she goes home with something to help her, whether it be a batch of rhubarb in the summer or homemade treats and supplies from our stockpile.
You don’t need stuff to see and feel Love.
Your Relationship With Poor Can Beat You Down
Another friend of ours compares herself to her wealthy friends, which can be mentally exhausting.
She believes that she is the poorest of them all and that they must think it’s an awful life for her to live.
They are arrogant in a group setting, and it’s hard for her to feel the vibe, but they are her long-time friends.
She doesn’t have the biggest house or fancy cars like they do and can’t jump on a plane to travel at a moment’s notice.
Most of them own successful businesses, but she has to work for somebody else.
Being around her friends is sometimes hard because she believes they don’t understand her delicate financial situation.
She’s not poverty-stricken in the way society associates this worldwide phenomenon.
She has a great job with a decent salary and pension plan, with the only debt being a small mortgage.
Although she feels she is among the poorest side of her friends, she is also the most generous.
Any Time You Need Her, She’s There
If you need a babysitter, she will be at your doorstep.
When you need a ride, her car door is open.
She will make a pit stop if you need her to pick something up.
She’s always willing to help out anyone, even her friends, who she seems to think are far richer than she is.
You can’t put a number on generosity and kindness.
Although she has money in the bank, she is considered the poorest financially among her circle of friends, but with the biggest heart.
Her friends are not mean, but it’s clear how money has influenced how they feel about themselves together.
No one goes out of their way to help them because they typically pay to get what they need to be done.
There’s that money perspective again where it’s easier to flaunt than hide it.
Money can change attitudes, sometimes for the worse and others for the better.
Joy Is Richer Than Money
When was the last time you did something nice for someone else?
I’m not talking about donating money, either.
Going out of your way to bring joy into someone’s life is how easy it is to be rich to someone in need.
- Talk to someone who is alone.
- Bringing coffee to a friend who can’t afford to buy one.
- Try baking a cake to make someone smile because they worry about how they will pay the bills.
- Take someone in need for a ride to get necessities.
- Donate or collect clothing for people who can’t afford to buy any.
These are the moments that make the so-called poorest of people the most intelligent people because they understand.
They get it, and they want to give back.
The poorest people know that someone else is always worse off, even if they have money in the bank.
There will always be a need to reach out to the community, friends, and family to volunteer, support, and participate in growing a better tomorrow.
If we continue to turn our noses up at the very people you may consider the poorest people, we won’t ever have a united country that works together as a team.
This is not the message we should be teaching tomorrow, our children.
If You Teach Sharing, Live By It
If we teach our children to share from a young age, we want them to embrace that commitment for the rest of their lives.
It’s not just something we do short-term; whatever happens when they leave home is their issue.
No. It shouldn’t work that way.
The poorest people are not the people with no money.
They are those who have a kind heart that is on repeat.
Be kind, and you will see how life rewards you.
Maybe not now or tomorrow, but it will reach you in ways you never imagined.
No one is ever above you.
Do something today that your future self will thank you for.
Remember, the poorest people are not just those with little to no money.
Think, Perspective.
Mr.CBB
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I heard some where recently that when we have a little we give away a lot because we never know when we will need help in return. I personally think that the more you give the more you get in return. Thanks for your inspiring story.
Exactly and that makes sense. It doesn’t have to be stuff or money either. Helping others, lending an ear to listing all makes for generosity and friendship. You’re welcome. I don’t post them often but when I do I put my heart and soul into them.
I agree that wealth is to some degree subjective. Also, there is an interconnectedness, in that the rich need the poor and vice versa. Without the poor who would do the lowest paying jobs in society? One difference between the two is that the poor are more likely to do great things without acknowledgment on a daily basis, whereas the rich are more likely to get praise in their circles due to their better-established social networks.
This really struck a chord with me. Mr Tre is the most generous person I have ever met. He would take our last dollar to help someone in need. What most people don’t know is that he grew up in poverty in a developing country.
Thanks for sharing that Tre.