WEALTH, WORTH AND WHAT WE BORROW FROM THE EARTH

WEALTH, WORTH AND WHAT WE BORROW FROM THE EARTH 

We live in a world where the size of a person’s house, the make of their car, the label on their clothes or the digits in their bank account are often mistaken for their value. Money, property and luxury can make someone financially rich, but they do not automatically make that person truly rich.

Real richness is something different. It’s a quiet strength. It’s dignity that does not bend in scarcity and humility that does not puff up in abundance.

Look closer and you’ll see a truth we often forget:

We all arrived here empty-handed.

We will all leave empty-handed.

Every object we call “mine” was drawn from the earth before we were born. The food on our plates, the metal in our phones, the bricks in our homes all borrowed from this planet for a fleeting moment. Even the breath we take is a gift on loan. When you see life through this lens, arrogance becomes absurd and gratitude becomes natural.

This is why calling another person a “pauper” is not only cruel but also false. Poverty and wealth measured only in currency are incomplete pictures. The person who can only afford one meal a day still carries a soul as vast as the sky. The one who eats three meals should never look down on them, and the one who eats one should never despise the one who cannot afford even that.

True wealth has always been and will always be — measured in things no market can price:

Integrity: standing firm in your values when it would be easier to sell them.

Compassion: reaching out when it would be easier to turn away.

Wisdom: seeing the bigger picture when others are blinded by the glitter.

Peace of mind: sleeping without fear or shame.

Love and community: the bonds that outlast every paycheck and every trend.

When we stop confusing ownership with worth, we start to see each other differently. We move from comparison to connection. We stop judging and start sharing. We stop hoarding and start stewarding.

So the next time you feel tempted to measure someone by what they have, remember: everything you admire, everything you desire, is borrowed. The only thing that’s truly yours is the way you live, love and leave a mark on others.

That’s the kind of richness no thief can steal, no recession can shrink, and no inheritance can pass down  because it is not an asset. It is a life.

 Questions for your readers to engage with in the comments:

What does “true wealth” mean to you personally?

Have you ever met someone with very little who felt “rich” in spirit?

How do you practice gratitude and humility in your daily life?