Let’s admit it, many of us, whether we are social workers or not, don’t consider ourselves rich. This is because we define ‘rich’ in terms of money, and with good reason in a world that in and of itself appears defined by the money in our banks and wallets.
With the state of the world we live in it often becomes difficult to escape a ‘poverty’ mentality. No only do we feel that we are poor because we live pay check by pay check (leaving us with little money to splurge on what we believe really matters), but we often feel poor in health, sparse in time, limited in mobility, burnt out in compassion, and lacking in friendship, just to name a few ways we can feel poor. As with the true cycle of poverty that we see clients struggle to get out of, this poverty mentality has the same effect: We feel stuck, muted, and bogged down.
But, richness is defined by so much more than money. Webster’s dictionary in short defines Rich as:
: having a lot of money and possessions
: very expensive and beautiful, impressive, etc.
: having or supplying a large amount of something that is wanted or needed
The second and third definitions go far beyond income and materials items, to discuss richness in quality, beauty, color, sound, technique, impression, and more. So then, what are you rich in? I for one am currently rich in: love, fresh vegetables (currently peppers and carrots), compassion, cooking skills, writing and editing talent, friendship, and unlimited potential. What about you? Perhaps a shift in our mentality away from what we are poor in toward what we do have that makes us rich will change the way we perceive our outlook on life and our ability to assist our clients.
Written by Georgianna Dolan-Reilly, LMSW
SJS Staff Writer
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The beauty/beast of societal norms and the perception of what is seen around us continues strong. It’s difficult to change a society when the values are distorted and the States are a capitalistic society. It is obvious that change comes in small snippets and takes a generation and a seed planted to change the mindset. Money isn’t an issue unless it is made one & unfortunately money is an important factor in daily lives because it pays the bills and meets basic human needs. But I am rich and always have been with the great amounts of social support, unconditional love, and many other tangible & non-monetary methods.
You are rich if you have time to think about the meaning of “rich” The middle class and even the working poor may have time to think about this, but the truly poor (not enough food to eat or provide for their family or themselves and constant day in and day out worry about shelter and food over long periods), don’t have the luxury of this excersize. Unless you have had a period in your life where you were truly hungry and not know where your next meal is coming from, or will come at all, you cannot understand what the least of these go thru. Going thru that (I have) changes everything.