Food & Receipts

A billionaire’s lesson when sending his child back to the countryside: Don’t let myself get so poor that I only have money.

A billionaire father decided to send his young son on a journey to a remote, impoverished countryside to see how fortunate he truly is. Surprisingly, the lessons learned by the little boy made his own father pause and reflect.

Administrator

25 January, 2024

158

The father believed that the boy would have an unforgettable lesson. After 3 days of living with a poor family in the countryside, the father returned to pick up the boy. On the way home, the millionaire asked his son:

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“How did you feel living there?”

“I felt really humble,” the boy replied.

The father asked again in surprise: “Does their family life differ from ours?”

The boy said: “Yes, very much so.”

Then, he went on to tell his father:

– They have four dogs, while we only have one.

– We swim in a pool, but they have a big crystal-clear lake with many types of fish swimming around.

– We use electric lights to illuminate our garden, but their backyard is always filled with moonlight and starlight.

– Our garden ends at the walls, but theirs extends to the horizon.

– We have to buy our meals, but they can make their own food.

– We listen to music on mobile devices, but they enjoy live music from birds, frogs, and other animals.

– Our food is cooked with a gas stove, while theirs is cooked with firewood, which makes the taste much better.

– Our house is surrounded by walls, while their front door is always open for friends to come over.

– Our lives are inseparable from phones, computers, and TVs, while theirs is connected to the blue sky, clean rivers, green fields, and shady trees.

As he finished his story, the boy said: “Thank you, Father, for teaching me how poor we are.”

The millionaire was extremely surprised by his son’s answer. But then, he suddenly remembered a famous saying by Rodolfo Costa that he had forgotten for so long: “There are so many people who are poor to the point that money is the only thing they have.”

In the countryside, despite living in simple thatched houses, the boy could play, run around, and breathe fresh air. Those are things that no urban house, no matter how spacious, can compare to.

In the countryside, children can play in vast fields and by clean rivers. The environment is cleaner and less polluted.

In addition, most people living in the city only know each other at a superficial level where they can exchange greetings.

Meanwhile, in the countryside, everyone lives together harmoniously, and they see each other as family and relatives. That is the value of human relationships, the warmth of the community.

The city life may seem affluent and abundant, but it can also feel indifferent and lonely, despite the many material possessions. That’s why Benjamin Franklin said:

“Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has, the more one wants.”