Success for some may be just a job to go to, a family that loves each other or keeping on in spite of the constant physical pain they're forced live with. For others, there's that secret dream to fulfill, an ambitious project to complete, or a bucket list to achieve..
Our culture provides folks who's life's work is to cheer others on, showing ways that will clear the path to achieving their heart's desire. That's all well and good. But what about those numberless people who strive for the energy just to take one step at a time, one day at a time?
For them, success is having food to set before their children at the end of the day. Success is finding a way to the job when there's no money to fix that flat tire. Success is making the paycheck stretch far enough to pay those basic bills.
We live in a country that flaunts its wealth. The media shines the spotlight on a way of life that is beyond the reach of so many. It's hard to remain content when you are surrounded by people who seem to have so much more than you do.
The biggest obstacle to contentment is the society that we function in. TV commercials and sit-coms depict lifestyles that are unrealistic for many.
Having a solid roof over your head; food to eat in the refrigerator; clothes to wear; shoes for your feet and enough money to pay your bills...those are hallmarks of success for many people in this country.
My definition of success would include one more -- to have enough left over to share with others who don't.
The depression fostered a generation that conserved everything they could. They reused tinfoil, saved aluminum pie pans for repurposing, used flour sacks to sew clothing, reused jelly jars, and many other things. As those parents and their children die off, the next generations don’t understand how to deal with not having the things others have. We gave our children a lot of the things we didn’t have. We should have given them more of a sense of contentment with what they have at any given moment to go along with a good work ethic.
ReplyDelete