Article December 8, 1997 Issue

"We have no poor"

Marguerite E. Buttner

"How does your government take care of your country's poor?" I asked our guide in Thailand twenty-five years ago. "We have no poor," he replied. "You must have some people who have no jobs, no money?" I questioned further. He looked at me in amazement. "Well, they have friends!" he retorted. Today, of course, Thailand has found new prosperity through a wealth of ideas. Even so, their previous "poverty" may have been mostly in the eyes of observers.

What is wealth? Do we always know when we possess it and when we lack it? Perhaps we know people who have lots of money and yet are unhappy because they think they don't have enough.

There are many perceptions of what is required to feel wealthy. Some people do remarkably well with very little. Others have difficulties making ends meet with large incomes. Consider, however, that if there is no gratitude, no spiritual wealth, money is never enough to enrich us.

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