First world problems

I was reading the newspaper this morning. I dont usually read it because its full of ads.. But it just struck me how affluent some people are that they have all these problems like...

Having to sell your home because it's just too big.
cant think of what to give people at Christmas since theres so much choice and people have everything already so the suggestion is a gift card to a shopping mall
Summer isnt nice enough in your own country so you need to book a holiday somewhere else overseas thats nicer.

It is easy to make fun of others but the rich also have sorrows like everyone else. They have children with mental illness, parents with dementia, or living with the after effects of being abused. They can be spiritually lost or grappling with addictions, loneliness or fear. Sneering at anyone is not how we are to love each other. It is hurtful.
One of my good friends has a good deal of money. He also is legally blind due to albinism. He suffered abuse and poverty. He became a pastor and was let go from his church as he was losing his sight. He went into business with his brother and they did very well. What did he do with that wealth? They built a hotel for downtown women with mental illnesses. They were raised by a mother with mental illness. He has fought to save the lives of people with albinism in Africa who are being hunted for their bones. Witch doctor have declared that their bones have magical properties. They have become a commodity. He and his wife, who has cerebral palsy, spend most of their time and money rescuing people and paying to have limbs rebuilt for those who have been attacked. They have built a school to educate and house the children at risk. Do these people deserve your contempt?
My point is that judging people just because they have wealth is wrong.

I am talking about specific first world problems, not problems everyone has whether rich or poor.

mental illness can strike anyone, but having a house thats too big is not a problem the majority of people have.

why not look a bit deeper then assume I am making fun of people

Too much money is also a problem like not having enough money. It is Biblical. Both extremes are not good for your soul. But if you were to choose, which is easier to solve?

if you have a home thats too big you need to find use for it rather than sell it to downsize and live somewhere else. perhaps it could become a childcare centre, or a school or a safe house. you could gift it to someone who really needs a home for their family.

you could use you extra money to buy gifts for the needy rather than gifts for people that already have everything

if you have enougn to have a holiday you could sponsor a family to get away who has NEVER had a holiday.

When I was broke, I was pretty down on rich people. But, the wife of a millionaire friend opened my eyes to just how much the wealthy do for our communities. Now that I am working on my second million, (I gave up on the first) I more fully understand how cool it is to be able to give away substantial sums of money.

The Dems knock wealthy people because they sometimes have low taxes. Well it's not that they are keeping the money they aren't paying in taxes, it is that they have already spent that money elsewhere. True, some of what they spend the money for benefits them, but far more often, it was spent on a project solely for the community. The YMCA we go to was entirely donated by a local doctor.... at least 30 million. And the yearly upkeep is also donated by about 25 different rich families in our community. The employees are paid by the membership fees.

And this sort of thing is done all over our city every year, as well as the same things happening throughout the country in city after city after city.

Hi Lanolin,

I know you've mentioned giving away a home or car in several of your posts.

I understand that having too large of a home might seem like a trivial problem, but it's a common one in the area where I live. The biggest reasons the house becomes too large is because someone in the family either moves out of the home or dies (as in an elderly spouse), and charity, while wonderful, is not the answer. Most people in the areas where I've been the past several years are downsizing because they can no longer afford the home.

As far as giving away a home or turning it into charity, you have to be very careful because you could wind up with a legal nightmare on your hands. Let's say you allow someone to stay in an unused room as an act of kindness. If that person gets hurt (whether accidentally or on purpose) on your property, they could very well sue you for everything you have. Unfortunately, now days (at least in the United States; I'm not sure how it is in your country), you have to protect yourself from every legal standpoint, even if, and sometimes, especially when, you are trying to do something good.

The first person you need to contact when doing a good deed of that magnitude is a good lawyer.

You also have to be careful that a blessing does not turn into a curse for someone. Many of the people you would think of gifting a car or house to would not be able to afford the expenses that come with it (HOA fees, property taxes, utilities, insurance, maintenance and repairs, etc.), so unless you are willing to continually pay these things for them, chances are, they will lose what is given to them anyway, and it could become another ugly, costly legal battle -- that you might wind up paying for. There may also be taxes and other hidden costs you might wind up owing.

Maybe things are different in your country? I'd be interested in hearing about what it's like there if someone wants to give away a house.

It's a sad and unfortunate thing that here in the United States, there is quite a bit of truth in the old saying that no good deed goes unpunished, and you really have to watch your back.

I was talking with someone once who allowed a homeless person to stay in the spare space of their apartment, then found out this homeless person was shooting up heroin in the bathroom.

Fortunately, the person was able to make them leave, but I know in a former place I lived in, there was a state law that said once you invite someone into your home, that person has a legal right to stay there, even without any kind of written or formal contract.

As in, if that person refuses to leave on their own, they have a legal standing, and you will have to go through the nightmare of a court process in order to get them out of your house.

I don't know if the law has changed over the years, or what laws different states have, and it's unfortunate, but it would be naive and a huge risk to just start inviting people into your home. I know you also mentioned starting a daycare center, etc. This is wonderful, except daycares come with a huge amount of liability that anyone involved would need to legally protect themselves from.

I realize that in order to do meaningful good works, sometimes you have to take risks. But I know that for myself, even if I were in that position, I couldn't handle the stress of all the ways in which a good deed could go wrong (and choose to donate what I can to shelters as an alternative.)

Sorry for the triple post, but I've been meaning to ask, if I may.

I know you've written a lot of threads and posts about what people who have excess money and/or possessions should be doing.

I was just wondering where this stems from?

Are you used to seeing people squander what they have, and is this why you are so passionate about this subject? (Which isn't a bad thing of course. I was just curious as to what has made it so important to you.)

"Having to sell your home because it's just too big. "

When I don’t have wifi I feel like I’m in the country which in itself is hilariously ridiculous

nz has a very unfair tax system, but we have a great ACC system so people dont sue each other.

unfortunately the gap between rich and poor is widening when it never used to be that way, thanks to economic reforms.

However Jesus gave us teachings that apply to our lives, whether we are rich or poor. He did say to the rich that if they had two coats, they were to give one to someone who had none. He said if you were throwing a party, dont invite those who are rich, invite the poor who cant pay you back.
he was very much into equality, and knew what its like to be in need. even though Hes like the son of God, and had royal lineage he was born to a lowly family.

I find people from the US dont really understand the concept of nobless oblige. much of the media portray wealth as something to be gained for ones own ends. But, in the Bible, the man who built bigger barns store all his grain missed the point.

we are blessed to be a blessing. if one cant give back, then what is all that wealth for? You cant take it to heaven.

funny I thought if you could hear cows mooing and sheep bleating you would feel like you are in the country....I guess times have changed.

Most of the rich countries operate on capitalism. You cannot force the rich to share their wealth to the poor. That will only happen in socialism.

When it comes to sharing wealth, everyone agrees that we need to share wealth, as long as it is your wealth, not their wealth. That is why socialism is not very popular.


Ecclesiastes 5:10

Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.


But there are rich people who are generous to the poor. Not all are greedy.


Khalil Gibran on Giving

I find that poor are way more generous than the rich in this world. like how Jesus observed the widows mite.

I am often surprised at how stingy wealthy people are and seem to have problems that arent really problems. But I guess having too much money would be a problem for some.

interestingly, anis and saphirra dropped dead because they said they would give everything to the apostles but kept some of it back.

I dont know if the Bible advocates a type of socialism but it does seem that God wants people to be more equal. Jesus parable about the rich man and Lazarus seems to make the point. those who have wealth now already have their reward.

Equality is not possible in our fallen world. That's why those who cry for equal rights will only cause trouble. Look at the first one to cry for equal rights, he is bound to go to hell. Satan is the first to question inequality, because he wanted to be God. Inequality has a purpose. We have to learn the hard way so we can survive in this world. But we can look forward to equality in God's perfect world in heaven.

I find a lot of people from other countries don't understand that everybody in the USA is an individual just like everywhere else, and can't be painted with a broad brush. That's called stereotyping. Maybe you're watching media too much.

Besides, most of the people I know here... in Tennessee... in the USA... are not like that at all. Most of the people I know are pretty nice people who are willing to help out a fellow in need.

Sadly people can end up living in a bubble.. They only move about in a certain world with certain people and they only speak about certain things.. They live in an exclusive walled community type of mind where they never think what reality is like for the vast majority of humanity and neither do they want to know about how the vast majority of this world lives.. They live on their island and that island stays with them where ever they go..

Great Wisdom spoken below..