One day, a father of a very wealthy family sent his son on a trip to the country, with the sole purpose of showing his son just how poor people can be. The son spent a couple of days and nights on the farm, of what would be considered a very poor family. On his return home from his trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad,” replied the son. “Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked. “Oh yeah,” said the son. “So, what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog, and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our courtyard, but, they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden, but they have a trillion stars at night. Our patio reaches a few feet into the yard, their’s stretches to the horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on, and they are surrounded by fields that extend beyond sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have big walls around our property to protect us, but they have friends to protect them.” Then his son added, “Thank you father, for showing me just how poor we really are.” His father stood speechless, and realized that he was the one who ended up being taught a lesson.
