I have been thinking about “things” lately. “Things” as in
material possessions that I own and that are currently sitting in storage at a
rate of $160 per month, just waiting for me to pick them up and use them
again. $160 a month is $1920 per
year. We’ll come back that that number.
Did you ever read the Hunger Games or watch the movies? The Hunger Games talks a lot about the ‘rich’
people in the Capital with their silly hair and clothing. The Capital residents have tons of wealth and
they spend it frivolously. Well, the
people in the Districts think the Capital residents look ridiculous and spend
frivolously because the District residents have next to nothing and are
starving to death! The Capital residents
buy new clothes, the latest electronics, fancy houses, etc. while the Districts
are only allowed to work in awful conditions for next to no money. They have to provide for the needs of the
Capital, you see. They Capital residents
would take throw-up pills so they can keep eating until they tried all the food
at the parties while the districts were fighting over the last grains of wheat.
Now, change The Capital with the USA and change The
Districts with 3rd world countries.
Who is spending a ton on new electronics, $20,000 health treatments a
month (I’m looking at you Gwyneth), shiny cars, and fancy vacations. Most Americans are in debt up to their
eyeballs to pay for it all. What kind of
country are we building? Who are we
trying to impress with our stuff? I can
tell you that we aren’t impressing other countries in the world. China owns a lot of the USA and many, many,
many other countries. Who buys the
trillions in debt America has? Foreign
countries! When the USA collapses, who
do you think will come to our aid? Who
will try to take us over? Ummm, probably
the people who own us. Think about
it! Do you want to be like China?!
Compare the obese Americans with too much money to the poor
kids with protruding bellies because they lack food and nutrients. (I’m overweight myself, but I am just making
the connection).
Quick story: When I
was in Kenya, on the safari tour, I had the most excellent server. He would entertain us, serve us, answer
questions, etc. He told me that he has
to walk home about 50 kilometers (partially through a safari with wild beasts!)
to get home on his few vacation days he has.
His monthly wage is less than I make in a day and he could never dream
of taking a trip to the US because it would cost him several years’ salary for
the ticket. At the end of the trip, I
tipped him the equivalent of about $30 and I was told it was way too much from
our driver. I told him that I would
normally spend about that for 1 meal at a normal restaurant at home (a nicer
meal) and I got several meals and entertainment out of his services. I didn’t feel like it was too much, but now
that I am thinking back, was that rude? I
didn’t tip him any more than I would have in the States, but was I considered a
‘rich American’? I certainly wasn’t rich
and I wasn’t trying to overstep my boundaries.
So, back to the storage payment of $1920 per year. What else can be done with that money instead
of hosting all my ‘much needed’ stuff to fill my large 1 bedroom
apartment? I mean, you have to have a
large apartment filled with stuff to impress the (inexistent) people to come
over. (Sarcasm font) I have a ton of kitchen supplies and I rarely
cook! I have tons of books that I read
once and stacked on a shelf. I could go
on, but I won’t. I literally have a
10x10 storage unit filled with my stuff.
Could I use that money to fund missions overseas? Could I
fund shelters for animals and homeless people?
Could I go on mission trips and help people in other countries? Think about this, if you just donated the
cost of the mission trip to a charity in that country and you had not gone, how
far would that $2,000-$4,000 carry them in their mission? Why don’t we donate that money? Because we want the ‘experience’ of helping the
poor and to ‘help them be live and be better’ or ‘show our kids how fortunate
they are’. What is better? Fortunate to get the newest IPhone or
Xbox? Is better being happy with what
you have, your necessities (hopefully) or is it filled with consumer debt from
trying to keep up with the Jones’.
As Christians, we want to show people the love of Christ,
but are we just showing the love of money and material possessions? Christ was a King that became poor for his
people. He tells us to give our money
away to the children and the widows. Jesus
tells us that it is difficult for a rich man to enter Heaven. Do you think it is difficult for the people
that have lower incomes from you to relate to you? I can’t relate to millionaires and how they
spend money, I can only imagine that is how other countries see us. You show up with your Kendra Scott earrings
and your Banana Republic jeans, (I’m
guilty of it too) and expect them to relate to you when your outfit might cost
more than what they make all year. How
humble can you be?
That’s all my thoughts just rambled together. I really wasn’t planning on making this a
Christian themed post, it just sort of came out that way towards the end.
Enough about my thoughts, what do you think?
