Category: Let's talk
This Speaks volumes.
If only more rich people would learn from this.
One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the
country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be
considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the
trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.
"Oh yeah," said the son.
"So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered:
"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, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."
Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if
we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we
don't have.
Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!
"Life is too short and friends are too few."
*big, applause!* for that. Very, very well said. Something we all need to bear in mind indeed.
I agree. This was very nice.
I agree, thanks for sharing.
Oh, God, I hate happytalk! Get real!
Jeez, why is it that some of you are so negative about these things? come on! If you don't like it, then don't read it. You dont' have to be so pessimistic about everything. There's absolutely nothing wrong with some people trying to be positive and optimistic about life. Yes, sometimes, it can seem a little far fetched, but there's still nothing wrong with the positivity.
I agree.
Negativity sucks.
And: this was a good reminder of the fact that good and bad are matters of perspective.
Thanks for posting.
Bob
I agree with gemini, this is a very good example of why i hardly post on these boards anymore, except elder folk when someone posts. the harmless posts are the ones that people jump all over, just because they consider them boring. if we were getting them in our in boxes, and made to feel like we're jers if we don't forward them instantly, I'd understand how everyone feels, but I don't understand putting down posts just for the fun of it. having gave my 0 cents worth, I'm offagain, and i'm not even goiong to read any more responses to this topic.
wonderwoman
The value of an idea has little or nothing to do with whether or not it gives you a warm feeling in your tummy. The value of an idea ultimately depends on whether or not it enhances your effectiveness in the real world. I believe that this inspirational happytalk is extremely harmful, for a number of reasons. It is a tool for keeping people from confronting real social problems and fighting for social change. It encourages people to repress their authentic perceptions and feelings in the absurd belief that we have a moral duty to act happy, or actually to _be_ happy. When this repression fails and people experience their real feelings, they then feel guilty because they are being "negative", they are succumbing to "self-pity", etc. For some reason, blind people today are particularly vulnerable to this kind of pathology, which I don't think was as true in former times.
In conclusion, let me recommend two excellent books by no-nonsense psychologists who have had the courage to say that the emperor has no clothes. One is Stop Smiling, Start Kvetching, by Barbara S. Held. The other is The Positive Power of Negative Thinking, by Julie K. Norem.
What exactly is happytalk anyways, never heard of it. Is it when people applaud someone for good behavioor? And if so, what's wrong with applauding someone for good behavior? I mean, if you did something that was worthwhild doing, wouldn't you want people to give good complements? And like Gemini just said, if you don't like someone applauding good behavior or what you folks call happytalk, then why bother to read? Nobody's pointing a gun to your head and said "You have to read this or else."... Personally I see reading the boards is like reading a book. You have a choice on rather or not to read a book right? Same here with the boards.
Well, the thing is, Christina, I didn't know what sort of thing it was until I had read it. I had hoped that a topic called "Poor People" would be a real discussion of issues relating to poor people, rather than the sort of inspirational writing that I would expect to find in Guideposts, Chicken Soup for the Soul, etc., which I assiduously avoid reading. Once I had read it, I think I had a right to say what I thought of it. Maybe we should have a category here for inspirational and positive topics, where nobody would be allowed to say anything negative or risk breaking anyone else's pretty balloon. I promise to stay out of that category if it is ever set up.
For anyone who would like to read a really vicious, scathing parody of the inspirational genre, I recommend the book You Are Worthless: Depressing Nuggets of Wisdom Sure to Ruin Your Day, by Scott Dikker. Good for a healthy laugh, anyway.
I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you, Christina. If somebody doesn't like such stories, they have the very same right to express themselves as do those who would agree with them or benefit from them. You need to understand this. People don't criticize these stories because they're just a bunch of black-hearted meanies or trolls. You may think such stories encourage thinking, but I believe they actually discourage thinking, because it seems those who like this sort of thing only want praise and agreement. Apparently you are supposed to swallow the story whole while suspending your disbelief and just experiencing the warm fuzziness of it all. I feel that if you present any idea or point of view, it is worthy of not only praise but questioning, criticism, picking apart and skepticism. I also think it's unfair to tell people who dislike this kind of thing to essentially be silent. Where's the exchange of diverse points of view if the only response you wish to receive is thanking you for the story or praising hte story for its message? Plus it's a bit of a boring read on a public message board. See, I notice a few things in the way people who love inspirational stories react to criticism, and I've seen this for a long time. First, people who send these things get very emotional and defensive when their post is criticized. It's as if they are the author and they are personally hurt by such a response. Next, people who are fans of such stories seem to put a lot of value in the warm and fuzzy feeling the stories generate. My impression is that such folks have this twisted idea that they are somehow saving the world from cold-heartedness and cynicism and these stories, this third-rate glurge, is the antedote for all that. Third, the people who actually write these stories write in a style that to me sounds preachy and heavy-handed, as if they are wiser than the rest of us, and by golly we need their brand of fixing. I don't know about anyone else, but if somebody wants to preach at me, that is not going to discourage my cynicism, but encourage it all the more. Hmm, I was going to say more but I plumb run out of words, so this is gonna have to do.
First of all, where in my post does it say that people should shut up about what they say? Nowhere does it say that but if you suspect that I said shut up I suggest you go back and read again. I know people have opinions and they're assholes and everybody has one, but what kills me with certain people is that they see people giving congrats to me or anybody else on here who post something worth whild, they wanna whine and complain about it. I mean what will whining do? Will it erase something I said or copied and pasted or what anybody else wrote? Obviously not. If you think it does then you're telling me something new I don't know about. You can act and say what you feel, nothing wrong with that, but that also keep in mind that complaining about the situation isn't gonna get you too far but nowhere.
How true the first post is!
The days I miss are filled with such beautiful memories. We used to crawl into manholes with flashlights or lighters and just let the sewage system of our city become a maze for us. And yes, by the time we’d find the other end of the hole we’d crawled into we were dirtier than bummbs, but who the hell cared! We’d make an adventure out of some of the nastiest conditions. We were the urban explorers! Lol
Nowadays, kids don’t do such things anymore,and pretty soon not even in the ghettos. You can thank video games for that.
And God forbid if a wheel on one of their skate boards was to break off, they’d be without a little toy to play with. Man, when I was a kid the toys I had were either homemade or stolen. Lol Nah, we’d pick them out of the trash and fix them up.
And I’ve actually strolled through some of the more affluent parts of my city and not a single kid is seen. Guess some parents are hopeless germaphobes, they don’t dare let their children play out in the lawns or streets. Are the streets crawling with predators and monsters or what? And this is during the summer! What the hell is everybody afraid of?
Another thing the first post reminded me of is when I visited family in Mexico. I have an elderly aunt—probably in her late 70s—who is governed by a youthful spirit. She’s so inspirational! This old woman is living in a third world country but it seems as though poverty has had no negative affect on her life at all. Or perhaps it has only made her stronger. In her old age and in her poverty she can still take care of the elderly. Over there, you see families struggling to earn a peso, selling homemade candy out of their homes or carrying basketfuls around the neighborhood.
You gotta live in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the US to see similar things.
But, yep, the first post sure reflects what I have seen to be true. And maybe this is why some of the immigration reform bills are showing a preference for skilled workers from other countries; maybe people living the rich life have lost basic skills, problem-solving skills and common sense. Lol Maybe.
I’m tired tonight. lol
No, you did not say it in so many words, but remember that I've run into this same kind of thinking for many years. I run a little private e-mail list myself and one of my guidelines is that forwards are banned because they don't encourage conversation and are filler. Some years ago, my list was quite big, and some folks sent forwards despite the guidelines, and we've had many an argument over them. People who send these feel-good forwards, believe me, seem to all react in a similar way. If a person does not like them, they should not read them and/or should delete them. This is what they say, but what is implied between the lines is that they want to be allowed to send them without any opposing viewpoints. This is sad, because as I said it does not encourage a diverse exchange of ideas.
Godzilla-On-Toast, I wish I had the ability to express myself as gently, diplomatically and clearly as you.
I thank you for the compliment, but I see nothing wrong with your approach, but then again, I think of myself as a realist so I don't have a problem with bluntness and you're one who expresses himself bluntly and that's OK. Those who can deal with it and process it will and those who can't won't and I suppose that's life amongst the Earthlings. But for me, yelling and screaming and stomping and name-calling is just going to make a lot of noise but it won't be too helpful a way to communicate my ideas. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't and again, that's just life.