Unlisted blog

Poverty is a relative state. The schizophrenic homeless guy that doesn't think to want anything material is quite happy in his own little world. The Harvard MBA whose cup runneth over is far from deprived. He might also quite unhappy. These two have completely different expectations.

It's often been said that awareness is the key to wisdom. Happiness, however, has nothing to do with widsom. Otherwise, adults wouldn't envy children. Happiness hinges on expectations. Sometimes that means a lot of soul-searching on our own parts. It's also as simple as what we say to others.

This American Life, a great radio program, addresses this in a recent episode. Parents in Harlem are seeing firsthand that they can help their children succeed in a very simple way. They just have to speak positively to their childen and read to them often. Those same parents know they might never overcome poverty despite their children's own successes.

The best thing we can do is to have reasonable expectations, pass them along, and then help others meet them. If you have children, speak to them, read to them, nurture them. Let them know you expect a lot from them. Don't allow them to feel complacent, and they won't disappoint you. If that's not an option, a few dollars to somebody in a third world country can be a huge help. Kiva, an international organization, connects trustworthy recipients with willing donors. These are small amounts of money, too. Click on the graphic for more info.