something the poor have that the rich (us) want

So I need to qualify a few things for this post.

1. For all intensive purposes, if you read this post, you're rich. Comparatively speaking, I figure if you have access to a computer to read a blog, you're in the top quartile of the world's most prosperous people. Born in the USA or other developed nation sort of does that to you if you asked for it or not. I use "poor" generally in this post to refer to monetary status, but I believe a true definition of poverty really includes much more than that -- which involves social relations, political access and rights, human rights, but for this post, "poor" means without money...

2. What I'm going to write on some of us already have here in the US, but I think all of us could stand to gain more of it or have it be a more intentional and regular part of our everyday life...

So what is it that the poor have that we rich are missing in large quantities, but deep down inside really want? To the point that we envy this aspect of the poor?

I was thinking about the times when people come back from short-term missions trips, or even vacations for that matter, in a developing country with more acute poverty. The general reaction or feeling to the trip is very positive. The experience was great!, very fulfilling!, and even post-trip people are wanting to back and relive the experience again. I seem to notice that experiences with the homeless in our own country, our poor, is a bit different. It's filled with more sadness and empathy it seems. Why this difference?

Well, I think some of the desire to go back or relive the overseas experience or short term mission trip isn't self-sacrificial, it's actually selfish. I'm going out on a limb here, but yes, I am saying that humans are selfish, even after the context of something like a mission trip, where they went out to serve.

Call me crazy, but I think what people envy about the poor is that the poor have each other.

In the US, I feel that there is an association of loneliness with our poor, maybe that corresponds to our individualism, and so interactions with our homeless, our poor, tend to produce a different response. More of a sadness.

When people go to developing countries, yes social and cultural norms are different, and that plays into it I'm sure, but we recognize the poor to be mostly happy and very content with what they have. We are always amazed at that - "they have so little, but yet are so happy"

But they don't have a little of community. They have a lot of it. A lot more than us "rich" folk back here in the USA. I think that's part of the reason we so readily want to go back on those mission trips. We want that community association and living. It's something that we envy and selfishly desire.

I don't think it's a bad thing to desire community, I think it's quite natural and fundamental for our being.

Simply put, I think the poor demonstrate that better than our rich society does. Again, money isn't the only factor I'm implying makes the difference, social and cultural norms surely play a part. Part of being poor is often not having a job, and so maybe it's that community happens involuntarily. I'm sure many people who are poor would rather have a job and an ability to support themselves or their family better. I also think the poor use community as a defense mechanism against poverty. Whatever the reason, we see that the poor live more often and deeper in community.

That contrasts largely with what we're used to and live here in the US. For the most part, we work as indivduals. We earn money as individuals. We work out as individuals. We tend to pray as individuals.

There's nothing wrong with working hard. There's nothing wrong with making money. None of those things are wrong, but I think it stands to say that we "rich" people could become more like the poor and have a greater engagement into community.